Russian Federation: Fear for safety of "missing" Pussy Riot member / Urgent Actions / Get Involved / Homepage - AWID

7.11.13

Russian Federation: Fear for safety of "missing" Pussy Riot member / Urgent Actions / Get Involved / Homepage - AWID: Nadezhda Tolokonnikova, imprisoned member of punk group Pussy Riot was reportedly put into a car on the 22 October, apparently to be transferred to another penal colony. Her whereabouts remain unknown. There are serious concerns regarding her safety and wellbeing.

Russian law only obliges the penal service authorities to notify one of a prisoner’s family members as to his or her whereabouts within ten days following the prisoner’s arrival at a new penal colony. However, there are no legal limitations as to how long a prisoner can be in transit. One of Nadezhda Tolokonnikova’s lawyers has told Amnesty International that the penal service authorities may be deliberately “making her life difficult” by keeping her in transit. The lengthy transit could be a means of pressure and de facto punishment for her recent open letter criticizing the penal administration and for her subsequent hunger strike.