A member of the Russian feminist protest punk rock group Pussy Riot has been sentenced to a year of house arrest for breaking COVID-19 health rules.
Pussy Riot, founded in Moscow in 2011 in response to national politics in Russia, organises provocative, unauthorised shows in public places as well as producing online content.
The group’s main topics include feminism, LGBT rights, and strong opposition to Russian President Vladimir Putin and his policies.
Band member and activist Lyudmila Stein has been sentenced to one year under house arrest by Moscow’s Preobrazhensky district court for violating health regulations at an illegal event during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to local media.a
She was arrested on 2nd February this year one day after being released for organising an unauthorised rally in support of opposition leader Alexei Navalny on 23rd January.
She was found guilty of breaking health regulations and organising a possible ‘superspreading’ event, and ordered to spend the next year at home from 10pm and 6am.
Stein also has to inform the authorities if she wants to change residence and is banned from visiting restaurants and attending public events, according to local media.
The Pussy Riot member is also not allowed to travel outside Moscow without prior approval and she has to appear before the authorities twice a month.
In 2012, Pussy Riot was arrested for performing a riotous punk song in the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour in Moscow.
Three band members were charged with ‘hooliganism motivated by religious hatred’ and jailed for two years.
The sentence drew widespread criticism and was the case was even adopted by human rights groups including Amnesty International, which designated them as ‘prisoners of conscience’.
They were released early in 2013 after the Russian parliament approved an amnesty law.