News / Europe

Punk Band: 2 Wanted Band Members Flee Russia to Avoid Arrest

Pussy Riot members, from left, Maria Alekhina, Yekaterina Samutsevich, and Nadezhda Tolokonnikova show the court's verdict as they sit in a glass cage at a courtroom in Moscow, August 17, 2012.
Pussy Riot members, from left, Maria Alekhina, Yekaterina Samutsevich, and Nadezhda Tolokonnikova show the court's verdict as they sit in a glass cage at a courtroom in Moscow, August 17, 2012.
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VOA News
The Russian punk band Pussy Riot says two members wanted by Russian authorities have fled the country to escape arrest.

The feminist band tweeted on Sunday that two band mates were currently "recruiting foreign feminists to prepare for new actions."

Pussy Riot's three other band members were convicted earlier this month on charges of "hooliganism" and are currently serving a two-year jail sentence.

They were arrested after performing a song inside Moscow's main cathedral in February that ridiculed President Vladimir Putin and his close ties to the Orthodox church.

Photo Gallery

  • A masked demonstrator in support of the Russian punk group Pussy Riot outside Russia's embassy in Berlin.
  • Demonstrators protest outside Spain's Foreign Office in Madrid.
  • Protesters hold placards in support of Pussy Riot outside Russia's embassy in Tel Aviv, Israel.
  • Pussy Riot members, from left, Maria Alekhina, Yekaterina Samutsevich, and Nadezhda Tolokonnikova show the court's verdict as they sit in a glass cage at a courtroom in Moscow, August 17, 2012.
  • A Russian man holds a doll dressed like a member of the band at an opposition rally in downtown Moscow.
  • A protester is arrested in front of the Russian consulate in New York.
  • Pussy Riot supporters behind barricades surrounding a court in Moscow.
  • A masked man attends a Pussy Riot support rally in Sydney.
  • Activists protest in front of the Russian delegation to the European Union in Brussels.
  • Pussy Riot supporters walk through downtown Warsaw to leave a petition at the Russian Embassy to demand their release.
  • A demonstrator in front of the Savior of Spilled Blood Cathedral in St. Petersburg, Russia.
  • A supporter shouts during a gathering outside the Russian embassy in Kiev.
  • A masked activist from Amnesty International protests next to the street sign of "Pussy-Riot-Platz" in Munich.
  • Protesters wear masks outside the Russian Embassy in Mexico.

Shortly after the sentencing, authorities announced they were searching for the two band mates who had remained free.

Putin's critics say the trial is an example of Russia's intolerance for dissent.

The case has prompted calls for leniency from an array of international musicians, celebrities, and ordinary Russians.


Some information for this report was provided by AP, AFP and Reuters.

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