Two members of Russian punk band Pussy Riot, who were serving two-year jail terms for their part in a performance critical of Russian President Vladimir Putin, have been released from prison.
Maria Alyokhina and Nadezhda Tolokonnikova were released about two months before their prison sentences were due to end. The release was approved last week when Russian lawmakers backed a sweeping amnesty law announced by Putin.
"Two months out of the almost two years that the girls have served is not much," Tolokonnikova's husband, Pyotr Verzilov, told CNN. "So the effect of this amnesty for Maria and Nadezhda is not really felt."
The Russian government said the amnesty marked the anniversary of the adoption of Russia's post-Communist constitution in 1993.
But Tolokonnikova, released from a Siberian facility on Monday, told CNN she felt that the amnesty was a publicity stunt to bolster the government's image before it hosts the Winter Olympics in February. Verzilov said much the same.
"President Putin obviously used this amnesty option to (brighten) up his image before the Olympic games," Verzilov said.
Russia's record on human rights is in the spotlight as the country prepares to host the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi.
Pussy Riot's 2012 performance of a "punk prayer" that criticized Putin, who was prime minister at the time, was held at a Russian Orthodox cathedral. The musicians were found guilty of hooliganism.
Tolokonnikova went on a hunger strike during her prison term to protest what she said were poor conditions at a Mordovian prison. In October, she was transferred to a Siberian facility for medical treatment, and she remained there until her release Monday.
http://www.cnn.com/2013/12/23/world/europe/russia-pussy-riot-member-freed/
Maria Alyokhina and Nadezhda Tolokonnikova were released about two months before their prison sentences were due to end. The release was approved last week when Russian lawmakers backed a sweeping amnesty law announced by Putin.
"Two months out of the almost two years that the girls have served is not much," Tolokonnikova's husband, Pyotr Verzilov, told CNN. "So the effect of this amnesty for Maria and Nadezhda is not really felt."
The Russian government said the amnesty marked the anniversary of the adoption of Russia's post-Communist constitution in 1993.
But Tolokonnikova, released from a Siberian facility on Monday, told CNN she felt that the amnesty was a publicity stunt to bolster the government's image before it hosts the Winter Olympics in February. Verzilov said much the same.
"President Putin obviously used this amnesty option to (brighten) up his image before the Olympic games," Verzilov said.
Russia's record on human rights is in the spotlight as the country prepares to host the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi.
Pussy Riot's 2012 performance of a "punk prayer" that criticized Putin, who was prime minister at the time, was held at a Russian Orthodox cathedral. The musicians were found guilty of hooliganism.
Tolokonnikova went on a hunger strike during her prison term to protest what she said were poor conditions at a Mordovian prison. In October, she was transferred to a Siberian facility for medical treatment, and she remained there until her release Monday.
http://www.cnn.com/2013/12/23/world/europe/russia-pussy-riot-member-freed/
