MOSCOW, November 23 (RIA Novosti) – Imprisoned member of punk group Pussy Riot Maria Alyokhina has requested to be transferred to solitary confinement, according to the press service of Russia’s Federal Penitentiary Service.
Alyokhina, 24, one of three Pussy Riot members sentenced to two years in prison last August for their raucous performance in Moscow’s main Orthodox cathedral, requested a transfer because of strained relations with her fellow inmates, the press service said.
Alyokhina, as well as 23-year-old Nadia Tolokonnikova, has been jailed since her arrest in March. Both are serving their sentences in distant penal colonies.
The third member, Ekaterina Samutsevich, 30, was released after an appeal hearing on October 10.
A controversial row erupted recently between the women and their lawyers, in which both sides have traded accusations of exploitation for publicity and personal gain.