Russian authorities have released two members of the punk rock band Pussy Riot after arresting the activists near the Winter Olympics in Sochi on suspicion of theft.
Nadezhda Tolokonnikova and Maria Alyokhina, who recently returned from a trip across the U.S. and Europe to bring attention to struggles in Russia, said they had been confronted by Russian security forces who used force and put them in vans along with seven other people. Tolokonnikova and Alyokhina then took to twitter posting pictures and updates.
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(Click on the tweets for a translation from Twitter.)
Задержаны в районе Морпорта Сочи по подозрению в уголовном преступлении.— Надя Толокно (@tolokno) February 18, 2014
Внутри автозака pic.twitter.com/rjukMd1PW4— Мария Алехина (@MashaAlekhina) February 18, 2014
Маша Алехина, я и еще одна участница Pussy Riot едем в отдел полиции Блиново за нахождение в Сочи. pic.twitter.com/bj8qpX7gMN— Надя Толокно (@tolokno) February 18, 2014
Petr Verzilov, husband of Tolokonnikova, told NBC that the pair was walking peacefully before they were confronted. Neither of them were charged with a crime.
Tolokonnikova and Alyokhina had recently returned to Russia following a trip through the U.S. and Europe following their release from prison under a new amnesty law. They had been sentenced to two years for "hooliganism motivated by religious hatred."
Albina Kovalyova of NBC said lawyers were not allowed access to the police station where the group was supposedly held, backing up a tweet from Tolokonnikova that she was "forced to testify without a lawyer."
The pair has recently run into criticism for their high profiles, particularly after their appearance at a concert in New York.
Tolokonnikova tweeted that the pair had been preparing a new protest song entitled "Putin will teach you to love the motherland."
В Сочи мы находимся с целью проведения акций pussy riot. Песня называется "Путин научит тебя любить родину".— Надя Толокно (@tolokno) February 18, 2014
This post was updated on Feb. 18 at 10:22 a.m. ET to reflect the release of Tolokonnikova and Alyokhina.