One More Pussy Riot Member Detained

Supporters of the all-female punk group Pussy Riot picketed the headquarters of the Moscow police on Thursday

via RIA Novosti

A Moscow court will hold a custody hearing this Friday for a third suspected member of feminist punk rock band Pussy Riot, who was detained on Thursday, [March 15, 2012] lawyer Violetta Volkova said.

The female detainee,  Ekaterina Santsevich,  was identified on Thursday by employees of Christ the Savior Cathedral, where Pussy Riot performed its “punk prayer,” when she arrived at Moscow’s police investigation department to provide testimony in the case of the two band members already in custody, the police said in a statement.

Her involvement in the performance, which blasted the Russian Orthodox Church’s support for president-elect Vladimir Putin, was verified by numerous videos posted on the Internet and recordings from surveillance cameras at the cathedral.

In February, five masked members of Pussy Riot stormed the Christ the Savior Cathedral in Moscow to perform their politically charged “punk prayer” next to the main altar and then fled the building.

The two Pussy Riot members already in custody, Maria Alyokhina and Nadezhda Tolokonnikova, face up to seven years in prison on hooliganism charges.

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Nicolai Polozov, one of the defense lawyers of the detained women, also reported on Thursday, March 15th 2012, that Maria Alyokhina is being brought to a nervous break-down by threats to deprive her of her parental rights – made by the investigators in the case, headed by the lieutenant -colonel A. Radchenkov. According to Polozov, the “Pussy Riot” case is ranked ‘of special importance’, and kept under strict control. The lawyer also declared that the investigating team of policemen continue to pressure the alleged band-members to testify, while the three detained women continue to exercise their right to silence under article 51 of the Russian constitution. Maria’s son, Filya, still remains with his grandmother.

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Help for Nadezhda, Maria and Ekaterina: Donations Being Collected

Dear Friends,

We, Nikolai Polozov, Violetta Volkova and Mark Feigin, the legal defense of Maria, Nadezhda and Ekaterina,  announce the call for all their supporters to help the detained women collect the funds and successfully pass the trial set for 24 April 2012:

The following articles need to be covered:

1.Psycho-Linguistic and Theological Expertise (on the presence of blasphemy in the text of the song): 5000 to 7500 Euro

2. Minimal Wage of their Legal Defense (the group of three lawyers are working free of charge right now, and in case there are new detainees, more lawyers will be needed): 1500 Euro each lawyer

3. Bail Sum: 13000 Euro for each woman (the defense hope to bail the women out on 24 April)

4. Expenses related to their children (food, clothing, etc)

You may donate in cash or by bank-transfer. You may do so by contacting one of the lawyers or through our contact page. For those in Russia, you may use (online-‘wallet’): Яндекс-кошелек 41001236566551

Nikolai Polozov

https://twitter.com/#!/moscow_advokat

http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100001662173833

+79671914055, +79859971520 Moscow

American Dollar Account
ZAO Raiffeisenbank
SWIFT: RZBMRUMM
Beneficiary account number: 40817840101000100239
Beneficiary name: Feygin Mark Zakharovich
Details for payment: legal services in the case of PR

Euro Account
ZAO Raiffeisenbank
SWIFT: RZBMRUMM
Beneficiary account number: 40817978701000488760
Beneficiary name: Feygin Mark Zakharovich
Details for payment: legal services in the case of PR

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On March 25th 2012, The Union of Solidarity with Political Prisoners (USPP) in Russia has issued a statement recognizing Maria Alyokhina, Nadezhda Tolokonnikova and Ekaterina Samutsevich as political prisoners. According to the Union, the three women are charged with ‘hooliganism’ according to article 213/2 of Criminal Code, without any evidence for incriminating such charges, which makes both pre-trial arrest and the charges, illegal. The three women are being incarcerated in the pre-trial detention center N6 until the final trial set for 24 April 2012.

Source: http://www.rosbalt.ru/moscow/2012/03/25/961247.html
USPP Statement: http://www.politzeky.ru/politzeki/drugie-dela/43518.html