Pussy Riot Members Seek Compensation From Kremlin

Nadezhhda Tolokonnikova (left) and Maria Alyokhina were convicted of hooliganism and sentenced to two years in jail in 2012 after staging a performance against Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow's Cathedral of Christ the Savior.

Two former members of the Russian punk performance-art group Pussy Riot are reportedly seeking compensation from the Kremlin for "violation of their rights to freely express their opinions, to personal immunity, and to a fair trial."

The "Vedomosti" newspaper on July 28 reported that Nadezhda Tolokonnikova and Maria Alyokhina filed their lawsuit with the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg last week.

They are demanding 120,000 euros ($161,000) each, plus 10,000 euros as compensation of legal costs.

The two were convicted of hooliganism and sentenced to two years in jail in 2012 after staging a performance against Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow's Cathedral of Christ the Savior.

They were released as part of an amnesty in December 2013, two months before the end of their terms.

With reporting by vedomosti.ru