Pussy Riot's Nadia Still Missing, May Be Sent To Siberia

posted in: Music News

Though perviously assured by Russian prison officials that they would be informed of her whereabouts within 10 days of her transfer, the family of punk activist Nadezhda (Nadia) Tolokonnikova has still not had any contact with her, 17 days later. They believe she may be moved to a penal colony in Siberia.

To recap, months after her arrest and imprisonment for an illegal protest inside a Moscow church with her band, Pussy Riot, Tolokonnikova began a hunger strike to protest human rights violations she said were taking place in her original prison. She was moved to a hospital and then again to prison, where she either began or threatened another such strike. She was apparently then granted the transfer she had been petitioning for, but has now gone missing.

Tolokonnikova’s husband, Peter Verzilov, told Rolling Stone that an unnamed prison source provided the information that she would be sent to the new Siberian colony. He believes the move is the result of both Nadia’s hunger strike and the protests being staged by her supporters outside the prison where she was formerly held. He and his father-in-law have stated their belief that officials are trying to cut off her communication with the outside world as a form of punishment, and they fear she may still be sick, abused, or worse.

Follow @OurStage and @FreePussyRiot on Twitter for updates.