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Pussy Riot Member Briefly Detained In Moscow


Veronika Nikulshina was one of a number of Pussy Riot members who were given a jail sentence for briefly interrupting last year's World Cup final in Moscow. (file photo)
Veronika Nikulshina was one of a number of Pussy Riot members who were given a jail sentence for briefly interrupting last year's World Cup final in Moscow. (file photo)

A member of the punk protest band Pussy Riot was briefly detained by police in Moscow, according to a member of the anti-Kremlin group.

Russian dissident activist Pyotr Verzilov, a member of Pussy Riot, said in a tweet that bandmate Veronika Nikulshina was detained on April 16 along with two others as they were going to attend a theater awards ceremony at the Bolshoi Theater.

Verzilov added that Nikulshina and her two companions were nominated for the Golden Mask award.

Verzilov said police did not explain why the trio were detained. They were released four hours later, he said.

Verzilov, Nikulshina, and other Pussy Riot members were sentenced to 15 days in jail for briefly interrupting last year's World Cup final in Moscow between France and Croatia by running onto the field wearing fake police uniforms.

In September, Verzilov was treated at a Berlin hospital for suspected poisoning.

Doctors were unable to determine the cause, but fellow activists suspected foul play.

Based on reporting by AP and Interfax

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