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Pussy Riot Members Say No Regrets For 'Punk Prayer'


The two jailed members of Pussy Riot, Maria Alyokhina (left) and Nadezhda Tolokonnikova, sit in a glass-walled cage in a court in Moscow during an October hearing.
The two jailed members of Pussy Riot, Maria Alyokhina (left) and Nadezhda Tolokonnikova, sit in a glass-walled cage in a court in Moscow during an October hearing.
In comments published by a Russian newspaper, the imprisoned members of the feminist performance group Pussy Riot say they have no regrets for the "punk prayer" against President Vladimir Putin that resulted in their incarceration.

The independent newspaper "Novaya gazeta" on January 23 printed excerpts from interviews done with Nadezhda Tolokonnikova and Maria Alyokhina.

Tolokonnikova described her work sewing jackets and living conditions in jail, saying what she missed most was opportunities to read books.

Alyokhina, who is at a different prison, noted she was currently in solitary confinement after receiving threats from fellow inmates, but added it was easier to read there away from the noise of the crowded barracks.

The two were ordered jailed for two years for "hooliganism motivated by religious hatred."

A third group member received a suspended sentence.

Based on reporting by "Novaya gazeta" and AP

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