November 23, 2012 16:09

Pussy Riot member moved to solitary confinement

Maria Alyokhina reportedly asked for the transfer at the remote prison

Photo: PA

One of the imprisoned members of Russian punk collective Pussy Riot has been moved to solitary confinement.

Maria Alyokhina is currently serving a two-year sentence at a remote prison camp 700 miles east of Moscow in Perm, in the Urals, after being imprisoned for staging an impromptu gig in Moscow's main cathedral.

Reports state that is was her own decision to be moved away from other inmates, with a prison spokeswoman telling the BBC: "Some tensions arose in relationships and, apparently, to prevent this situation from escalating, she decided to submit a request to the prison leadership and they moved her to a one-person cell."

Three members of the feminist punk band were sentenced to two years in prison in August after performing an anti-Putin song in a Moscow cathedral. One member, Yekaterina Samutsevich, was released on appeal after her lawyers successfully argued that she hadn't even managed to take her guitar out of its case before being kicked out of the cathedral.

The two remaining imprisoned members were later sent away to remote prison camps, where conditions are reported to be harsh. The womens' lawyers had argued that they should remain in jail in Moscow to be closer to their small children, however Tolokonnikova was sent to Mordovia, about 500 km (300 miles) east of Moscow, and Alyokhina to the Perm region, which is about 1,100 km (700 miles) east of the capital.

The group's imprisonment sparked a wave of condemnation across the music world with a host of musicians including Björk, Madonna and Paul McCartney calling for their release.

Video: Pussy Riot – 'Our Country Is Dominated By Evil Men'

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