Russia launches hunt for other Pussy Riot members

MOSCOW

Supporters of the Pussy Riot wear masks and hold placards demanding their freedom as they protest in front of of the Russian embassy in Warsaw. AFP photo

Investigators said yesterday they had launched a fresh criminal probe against members of punk band Pussy Riot who remained free after an anti-Vladimir Putin stunt in Russia’s top church.

“The probe is currently ongoing, search activities are being conducted,” a spokesman for Moscow police told Agence France-Presse, three days after three members of the all-female band were jailed for two years by a court.

Five women in all pulled on brightly colored balaclavas on Feb. 21 and belted out an “anthem” in Moscow’s Christ the Saviour Cathedral calling on the Virgin Mary to remove Russian strongman Putin. The three put on trial were detained in March, while the other two remained free.

New song for Putin

During the trial, the prosecution referred to them as “unidentified participants.” It was not immediately clear whether the authorities’ search was limited to just these two women or other members of the fluid female collective. Pyotr Verzilov, the husband of one of the jailed singers, said earlier they were leading “normal lives.” On Aug. 17 Maria Alyokhina, Nadezhda Tolokonnikova and Yekaterina Samutsevich were found guilty of “hooliganism motivated by religious hatred” and handed two-year jail terms in a court ruling the West decried as “disproportionate” punishment. Earlier yesterday their lawyer said they would not seek clemency from Putin. “Our clients will not ask for a pardon,” defence lawyer Nikolai Polozov said, adding: “Literally this is what they said: ‘Let them go to hell with their pardon’.” Polozov said however the defense team planned to appeal to a higher court. Pussy Riot recently released a new song entitled “Putin is Lighting the Fires of the Revolution.