Photo via Mashable
Earlier today, Nadya Tolonnikova and fellow activist Katya Nenasheva planned on sewing a Russian flag in Moscow’s Bolotnaya Square while wearing prison uniforms. The act was a demonstration in support of Russia’s female prison population, of which Tolonnikova was famously a member. Before the duo could begin their performance, police apprehended both women and loaded them into a police bus, along with their sewing machine and fabric.
Evidently, the police did not confiscate their phones, as the pair tweeted a selfie from inside the police vehicle.
Two hours ago, from inside the police station, Nadya took to Facebook to inform the world that two completed their performance after all:
“We still have sewn the flag of Russia! Already at the police station. Mission Accomplished!”
It appears that the two were detained, but not arrested, as they seem to have not been placed in a cell and have apparently been released. Throughout the ordeal, Nadya stayed characteristically bubbly and even posted jokes along with updates on the situation to their supporters. At one point, a fan visited the police station and covertly smuggled ice cream bars to the detained activists. It’s probably one of the most adorable moments from a civil rights violation in the history of police states.
About an hour ago, Nadya posted a photo of herself and Nenasheva standing outside with the following message:
It’s good to see they aren’t still being held in police custody, not to mention amazing that they got to keep their phones and document the whole experience. Mostly, it’s pretty bad-ass that they finished their performance from inside the police station. It seems like this incident illustrates that the Russian police still want to silence dissidents, or at least assert authority, but want to avoid another PR nightmare for Putin’s regime by seriously persecuting high-profile figures like Nadya Tolokonnikova. Of course, its fucked up that they were detained for a performance, but the fact that they weren’t beaten, stripped of their phones, or kept for more than a few hours seems to paint this issue as a bit of muscle-flexing by a state that’s loosing its grip on international public image.
{ 1 comment }
i hope each of the pussy riot girls get some serious jail time
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