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Pussy Riot Member Hospitalized Due To Hunger Strike

Jimmy Haas

by Jimmy Haas

Published May 29, 2013

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Imprisoned Pussy Riot member Maria Alyokhina was moved to her prison's hospital seven days into her hunger strike. Alyokhina has been on the hunger strike ever since she was denied the right to attend her parole hearing.

Alyokhina and her bandmates Yekaterina Samutsevich and Nadezhda Tolokonnikova, was convicted in August 2012 after staging a protest against Vladimir Putin and the top Russian religious official inside Moscow's main cathedral. All three were given a two-year prison sentence for "hooliganism motivated by religious hatred."

Samutsevich had her sentence suspended on appeal in October, while Tolokonnikova was denied parole last month. Alyokhina has been having a more difficult time in prison. Through a letter sent to her lawyer, she claims that prison officials are trying to turn other inmates against her by increasing security for everyone. She also claims that she was housed with more violent convicts who where encouraged to intimidate her by the prison officials. She spent five months in solitary confinement as well.

Alyokhina has said that she will end her hunger strike if she is treated fairly by the prison. An official has been sent to the prison to inspect their treatment of her.

There has been worldwide condemnation of Pussy Riot's imprisonment and continued call for their release. There has been a more severe crackdown on dissent following Putin's election to a third term. It is unlikely that Russia will bow to foreign pressure, and their sentences are already over halfway complete, so they will likely serve their remaining time.

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