Pussy Riot Members Nadezhda Tolokonnikova and Maria Alekhina Could Be Freed Under Kremlin Amnesty Bill

Tuesday, December 10th, 2013

Pussy Riot

Though imprisoned Pussy Riot member Nadya Tolokonnikova was reportedly missing in early November, it appears that there may be some good news on the horizon for her and her cohort Maria Alekhina.

According to the Guardian, a Russian newspaper has reported that the jailed members of Pussy Riot band could be released under a Kremlin amnesty bill, which applies to women who have children and have not committed violent crime — and Tolokonnikova and Alekhina both are mothers, and were arrested and sentenced to two years in prison on charges of nonviolent hooliganism.

The amnesty bill, submitted by President Vladimir Putin, doesn’t contain names, and there has been no official confirmation that Tolokonnikova and Alekhina could be released.

However, The Voice Project is reporting that they’ve had direct contact with Pyotr Verzilov, the husband of Tolokonnikova, who confirms that his wife and Maria Alyokhina will be freed under the amnesty bill being submitted by the Kremlin to parliament to mark the Russian constitution’s 20th anniversary.

The Voice Project also reports that Tolokonnikova’s father Andrei has also confirmed this from “reliable sources.”

“It’s from the Kremlin and official already, they will be freed,” Pyotr told The Voice Project, adding, “We do not know yet when this will happen, because it is unclear when the bill will be voted by the Duma and how fast it will be applied to prisons — could be from two weeks to two months until they are freed.”

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