Police Release Member Of Pussy Riot Punk Band Recently Detained In Moscow - Lawyer

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 13th June, 2021) Moscow police have released Veronika Nikulshina, a member of the protest punk band Pussy Riot, the activist's lawyer Dmitry Zakhvatov told Sputnik on Sunday.

Nikulshina was detained on Saturday in the capital's Lubyanka area.

"Yesterday they [police] drew up a report on disorderly conduct against Veronica, after which they released her at night," Zakhvatov said.

The activist was reportedly giving an interview in the Lubyanka district to Russian journalist Alexey Pivovarov.

Another member of the band, Maria Alyokhina, has had a criminal case opened against her for encouraging violation of coronavirus-related health guidelines.

According to investigators, Alyokhina and other suspects in the case were detained at an unauthorized protest in support of Russian opposition figure Alexey Navalny that took place on January 23 � calling for people to participate in the gathering, and thus increasing the coronavirus risks.

Unauthorized rallies swept through Russian cities on January 23, January 31, and February 2 in support of Navalny, who was detained on arrival in Moscow from Germany, where he was treated for alleged poisoning, and sentenced to prison for breaching his parole. The activist is currently serving his prison sentence in a penal colony in the Vladimir Region of Russia.

The Pussy Riot group leaped into the spotlight after its high-profile performance in the Cathedral of Christ the Savior in Moscow. Three of the band members � Maria Alyokhina, Nadezhda Tolokonnikova, and Yekaterina Samutsevich � were sentenced to two years in prison for hooliganism in August 2012. Samutsevich's sentence was commuted to parole in October 2012, while the two other members of the group were released from prison under the amnesty in December 2013.