Pussy Riot member, Nadya Tolokonnikova, along with activist Katya Nenasheva were just detained this morning in Moscow. Both Nadya and Katya were in central Bolotnaya Square dressed in makeshift prison garb with sewing machines they intended to use to stitch together a Russian flag to show support for female prisoners. No sooner did they begin when Moscow police infiltrated their peaceful assembly and dragged them away where they are still being detained according to a spokeswoman for Tolokonnikova.
As one of two members of Pussy Riot, Tolokonnikova is public of her criticism of the President Vladimir Putin and spent almost two years in prison after being found guilty of hooliganism for performing inside Moscow's Christ the Savior Cathedral.
While in custody aboard the bus, the women posted a note on Facebook about the performance explaining "Nobody cares about this social group. Most people fail to understand the difficulties women face in the outside world after being released from prison." You can read the full note (and translation) here.
You can see the photos of the brief protest courtesy of Evgeny Feldman as well as the full statement from Tolokonnikova below. We'll keep you updated as the story progresses.
Action "DON'T BE AFRAID"
For 30 days the activist Katherine Nenasheva will be living her regular life wearing a prison robe of a female convict. She goes to exams, takes meetings, goes to the movies, gets groceries, goes out - she continues her daily life.
June 12 is the 18th day of Katherine Nenasheva's action and also Russia Day - an important holiday in Russia that celebrates our flag and Constitution. On this day I am joining Katherine to sew a huge Russian flag in the same prison uniform that I wore during my time in the prison camps.
We will sew the Russian flag on Bolotnaya square, the square that became the starting point for many years in prison for dozens of activists who went out to protest Putin's regime in May 2012. So here we are, on this square, and we will sew the sign "PRISON CAMP RUSSIA" to the face of the Russian flag on Russia Day.
Nadya Tolokonnikova
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