Pussy Riot member Maria Alyokhina has been hospitalised in relation to the imprisoned activist’s hunger strike. Alyokhina began the hunger strike last week after being denied her parole.
According to Pyotr Verzilov, husband of Pussy Riot member Nadezhda Tolokonnikova, Alyokhina has been moved to the hospital of her prison colony in Berezniki, Perm Krai, Russia.
Alyokhina, who is serving 2 years in jail for hooliganism motivated by religious hatred, was refused the right to attend her own parole hearing last week, with a prison official stating during the hearing that Alyokhina “systematically disobeyed prison authorities and failed to repent for her crime” and shows a “lack of initiative in household chores”.
As reported by the ABC, Natalia Alyokhina, Maria’s mother, told Russian radio station Svoboda Radio that her daughter was never going to be given a fair parole hearing:
“This looked not like a court hearing but like arm-twisting. Clearly the court was not interested in the character of the convict, because the decision was likely made in advance.”
According to the BBC, Alyokhina spent 5 months in solitary confinement after complaining she was deliberately locked up with hardened criminals who prison officials encouraged to intimidate her.
In a letter published by her lawyers, Alyokhina wrote that prison officials attempted to turn other inmates against her ahead of her parole hearing by holding a security crackdown.
After learning of Alyokhina’s hunger strike Paul McCartney wrote Russian officials 2 handwritten letters in support of Pussy Riot. One letter asked that Alyokhina be released on parole, while the other addressed Tolokonnikova’s ongoing imprisonment.
Last month Tolokonnikova was also denied parole, although unlike Alyokhina she was allowed to attend her parole hearing.
(via NME)
