Week-ending 26 June 2020
Petr Verzilov: ‘The description of this situation leaves no doubt that we were in a situation of a classic police provocation, which played out very badly.’
Source:
Member Of Russia’s Pussy Riot Jailed For ‘Swearing At Police’
A court in Moscow on June 22 sentenced a founding member of the protest music group Pussy Riot to 15 days in jail for allegedly swearing at police, local media reported. Pyotr Verzilov, who is also a publisher of Mediazona, was detained on June 21 after police searched his residence in connection with an investigation into Moscow protests last year. Verzilov said that when he was released later that day after questioning and was walking toward the subway, he was followed by a group of people he believed were police officers. One of them attempted to trip the activist twice and police arrested them for fighting, keeping Verzilov in jail overnight. “The description of this situation leaves no doubt that we were in a situation of a classic police provocation, which played out very badly,” he told the court. RFE/RL, 22 June 2020
See also:
Member of Pussy Riot protest group detained by anti-extremist police
A prominent member of the protest group Pussy Riot was interrogated for hours and charged with petty hooliganism after his sudden disappearance sparked concerns he had been kidnapped. Pyotr Verzilov, an activist and artist, was seized at his apartment by unidentified men who broke down his door with a sledgehammer on Sunday morning. Verzilov is a veteran member of Pussy Riot who launched a pitch invasion with three other activists at the 2018 World Cup finals to protest against police brutality and subsequently complained of a poisoning attempt, which he blamed on the Russian government. He rose to prominence during the 2012 trial of three members of Pussy Riot for launching a punk protest in a Moscow cathedral. The Guardian, 22 June 2020
Administrative detention of ex-Pussy Riot member for hooliganism upheld
MOSCOW, June 25 (RAPSI) – The Moscow City Court on Thursday upheld a 15-day administrative detention imposed on ex-member of the art group Voina (War) and notorious punk group Pussy Riot Petr Verzilov for petty hooliganism, the court’s press service told RAPSI. On June 22, the Meshchansky District Court of Moscow found Verzilov guilty of violating a public order by talking obscenities near a police station he left after interrogation. RAPSI, 25 June 2020
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