×
Enjoying ad-free content?
Since July 1, 2024, we have disabled all ads to improve your reading experience.
This commitment costs us $10,000 a month. Your support can help us fill the gap.
Support us
Our journalism is banned in Russia. We need your help to keep providing you with the truth.

Pussy Riot Wants a €250K Payout From Russia

Pussy Riot members (L-R) Maria Alyokhina and Nadezhda Tolokonnikova

Pussy Riot members Nadezhda Tolokonnikova and Maria Alyokhina are seeking damages in the amount of 250,000 euros ($336,000) in their case against Russia before the European Court of Human Rights, Vedomosti reported Monday.

The women are seeking 120,000 euros in moral damages each, and an additional 10,000 euros between the two to cover legal fees, according to the report.

Tolokonnikova and Alyohkina were hit with two-year prison terms in August 2012 for their "punk prayer" performance in Moscow's Christ the Savior Cathedral earlier that year. They were sentenced alongside a third member of the group, Yekaterina Samutsevich, who was released last October after a court transferred her prison term to a suspended sentence.

The Pussy Riot members initially lodged a complaint before the ECHR in June 2012, while their case in Russia was still ongoing. At the time, they complained that various of their fundamental rights had been violated, including the rights to liberty and security and to a fair trial, freedom of expression and the prohibition of torture, all of which are guaranteed by the European Convention of Human Rights, to which Russia is a signatory.

In June, the Justice Ministry responded to these complaints with a 35-page memorandum that referred to the women's claims as "baseless," Vedomosti reported at the time.

During her time behind bars, Tolokonnikova went on a hunger strike to protest prison conditions at her penal colony in Mordovia. She also wrote an open letter accusing officials of abusing prisoners and was subsequently transferred to a different facility.

Alyokhina and Tolokonnikova were granted amnesty and released in December. Upon their release, they vowed to fight to improve prisoners' rights.

See also:

Rights Groups to Testify Against Russia in Pussy Riot Trial

Sign up for our free weekly newsletter

Our weekly newsletter contains a hand-picked selection of news, features, analysiss and more from The Moscow Times. You will receive it in your mailbox every Friday. Never miss the latest news from Russia. Preview
Subscribers agree to the Privacy Policy

A Message from The Moscow Times:

Dear readers,

We are facing unprecedented challenges. Russia's Prosecutor General's Office has designated The Moscow Times as an "undesirable" organization, criminalizing our work and putting our staff at risk of prosecution. This follows our earlier unjust labeling as a "foreign agent."

These actions are direct attempts to silence independent journalism in Russia. The authorities claim our work "discredits the decisions of the Russian leadership." We see things differently: we strive to provide accurate, unbiased reporting on Russia.

We, the journalists of The Moscow Times, refuse to be silenced. But to continue our work, we need your help.

Your support, no matter how small, makes a world of difference. If you can, please support us monthly starting from just $2. It's quick to set up, and every contribution makes a significant impact.

By supporting The Moscow Times, you're defending open, independent journalism in the face of repression. Thank you for standing with us.

Once
Monthly
Annual
Continue
paiment methods
Not ready to support today?
Remind me later.

Read more