Pussy Riot members lose their appeal over World Cup pitch invasion… but don’t look too concerned as they’ll still walk free next week
- Members of the punk group didn’t bat an eyelid as they were put behind bars
- Moscow City Court handed them 15-day prison sentences for invading pitch
- Ran onto field at Luzhniki Stadium, Moscow, during France and Croatia final
Pussy Riot punk group members didn’t bat an eyelid as they were put behind bars for invading the pitch at the World Cup final.
The Moscow City Court upheld their 15-day sentences in police cells for breaching rules for spectators. They have served eight days already.
‘I consider the punishment lawful and well-founded,’ said Judge Sergei Misyura in comments carried by RIA Novosti news agency.
Veronika Nikulshina smiled and seemed unfazed after losing an appeal at a court in Moscow
Olga Kuracheva laughed with friends in the gallery before the court upheld its decision
Pyotr Verzilov gave the peace sign during the hearing. The group were each given 15-day prison sentences
The activists – Veronika Nikulshina, Olga Kuracheva, Olga Pakhtusova and Pyotr Verzilov – were found guilty last week after their brief invasion dressed in police uniforms at the final between France and Croatia at Moscow’s Luzhniki stadium on 15 July.
The activists said the protest, accompanied by a statement and video, was aimed at highlighting abuses by Russian police.
Their stunt was watched by Russian President Vladimir Putin and French counterpart Emmanuel Macron as well as millions of viewers around the world.
They face a separate hearing on Tuesday for the unlawful wearing of police uniforms, punishable by a small fine.
Olga Kuracheva (left) and Olga Pakhtusova were two of the members who dressed up as police officers and ran across the Moscow pitch earlier this month
Pussy Riot swept to global fame in 2012 when they were arrested for performing an anti-Putin protest song in a Moscow church
Pussy Riot swept to global fame in 2012 when three of the punk collective’s members were arrested for performing an anti-Putin protest song in a central Moscow church.
Two, Maria Alyokhina and Nadezhda Tolokonnikova, served jail terms, while one other, Yekaterina Samutsevich, had her sentence suspended on appeal.
Alyokhina on Monday lost a libel case against her and Russia’s Sobesednik magazine launched by the penal colony where she was held. It concerned claims she made in an article about poor working conditions and wages for prisoners, Interfax news agency reported.
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