Remember Pussy Riot? Of course you do, who could forget a name like that. Well as you may or may not remember, they were locked away in Russia for being too outspoken and wily for the Russian government's liking, among other things. The justification for their imprisonment was officially put down to "hooliganism motivated by religious hatred" following their riotous performance at Moscow's cathedral.
Anyhoo, one of the activists, Maria Alyokhina has been released from prison earlier than she had expected, and though most people would be pretty damn pleased with themselves (Andy Dufresne springs to mind), Maria's not a bit happy; she wants to stay put behind bars with her fellow 'hooligan'.
Maria's bandmate Nadezhda Tolokonnikova is also expected to be released later today, under a new amnesty law signed just last week by the Russian parliament that seeks to protect mothers, pregnant women, youths and more.
Good news for most, but why wasn't Alyokhina happy? Speaking to Russia's Dozhd TV channel, she explained: "I don't think the amnesty is a humanitarian act, I think it's a PR stunt... In this situation, I was just a body being moved in space, nothing depended on me... If I had a choice to refuse [the amnesty], I would have, without a doubt."
The third member got off early, back in 2012, for she had not sang with the other two.
Thoughts?
