Photo: REX USA/Picture Perfect.UPDATE: The two women have now been released, just hours after being detained on suspicions of theft at their hotel. "A survey in connection with the theft at the Hotel Adler is completed; there is no claim against those questioned," a police statement says. Still, the matter is far from resolved. Nadezhda Tolokonnikova's husband, Petr Verzilov, claims his wife and Maria Alyokhina "were put to the floor and beaten and physical force was used to them when they refused to be questioned without the presence of their lawyer, who was on his way to the police department." The women are now planning to file a complaint about "unbelievable lawlessness" with the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation.
AdvertisementADVERTISEMENT
It's Vladimir Putin's party, and he'll detain if he wants to. In a dramatic battle that makes the bitter rivalry between the U.S.A. and Canada women's hockey teams look like a playground spat, the Russian president has reportedly ordered the detainment of two former members of the controversial Pussy Riot punk band.
The husband of Nadezhda Tolokonnikova says that his wife and bandmate Maria Alyokhina were detained by police near the Sochi seaport, where they had been meeting journalists. The pair were reportedly in Sochi to record a song that attacked Putin, while protesting against Russia's lack of freedom of speech. So far, police have yet to confirm the detainment.
The women are said to still be in police custody and have been charged with committing a crime, though it's not clear at this time what the crime actually is. Tolokonnikova and Alyokhina were recently released from jail after nearly two years for hooliganism and inciting religious hatred, and have been hailed as heroes by human rights campaigners. Whether they'll be facing a long-term incarceration this time remains to be seen. But, with the whole world watching Sochi, one has to wonder if stirring up more controversy is in Putin's best interest. (CNN)