Russia: Pussy Riot takes bid for prisoners' group to European court
| Publisher | Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty |
| Publication Date | 26 February 2015 |
| Cite as | Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Russia: Pussy Riot takes bid for prisoners' group to European court, 26 February 2015, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/5509412bc.html [accessed 5 June 2023] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
February 26, 2015
By RFE/RL
Two members of the punk protest band Pussy Riot have filed a complaint at the European Court of Human Rights over Russia's refusal to register their prisoners' rights group.
Nadezhda Tolokonnikova and Maria Alyokhina told the Russian daily Vedomosti they believe the Justice Ministry's refusal to register their group, Zona Prava (Law Zone), was illegal and contradicted guarantees of free assembly and association.
The report was published by Vedomosti on February 26 and confirmed by a website affiliated with Zona Prava, www.zona.media
In October, a court in Moscow ruled that Justice Ministry refusal to register Zona Prava was legal.
Tolokonnikova and Alyokhina were convicted of hooliganism for bursting into Russia' main cathedral in 2012 and sang a "punk prayer" against Vladimir Putin.
They were close to the end of their two-year prison sentences when they were freed in December 2013, under an amnesty they dismissed as a propaganda stunt ahead of the Sochi Olympics.
Link to original story on RFE/RL website
