http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/pussy-riot-covered-by-russian-amnesty-putin-confirms-20131219Pussy Riot Covered by Russian Amnesty, Putin Confirms"Russian President Vladimir Putin, who initiated an amnesty that could lead to the release of more than 25,000 prisoners in his country, said today that the bill would also free the two jailed members of the punk group Pussy Riot. According to NDTV, the band's Nadezhda Tolokonnikova and Maria Alyokhina were originally set to be released in March but will likely be discharged earlier under the amnesty, as both are mothers of small children. Neither Putin nor other Russian government officials, however, have announced a timeline.
The women are both serving two-year sentences for staging a protest at Moscow's Cathedral of Christ the Savior, which included the filming of a music video titled "Punk Prayer – Mother of God, Chase Putin Away!" A third member of the group, Yekaterina Samutsevich, was freed on appeal in October 2012. A lawyer for Tolokonnikova and Alyokhina told The New York Times yesterday she expected a swift release."
