MOSCOW, December 20 (RIA Novosti) – Two members of the Pussy Riot punk group, sentenced to two years in prison, will not be able to celebrate New Year because of strict prison rules, their lawyer told the RAPSI news agency on Thursday.
“Maria Alyokhina and Nadezhda Tolokonnikova will have no New Year celebrations, because penal colonies have strict rules. Inmates go to bed at 9:00 p.m. and get up at 6:00 a.m. No exceptions are allowed. A rule is a rule,” Irina Khrunova said.
The third convicted group member, Yekaterina Samutsevich, who is at liberty after her sentence was suspended, will see in the New Year with her family.
The three Pussy Riot members were arrested shortly after their “punk prayer” performance in Moscow’s main cathedral in February 2012 and sentenced last August to two years in prison for hooliganism. Their trial made international headlines and sparked criticism of the Putin administration from civil rights activists and support from outraged social conservatives.