Maria Alyokhina, Lyusya Shtein and Taso Pletner, members of the band Pussy Riot, were arrested in Bern, Switzerland, while spraying anti-war graffiti on a local pavement, the group's producer Alexander Cheparukhin told Mediazona.
Photo: Pussy Riot’s unfinished graffiti
“They were taken away in handcuffs. The policeman said they could be expelled from Switzerland. I have pictures [of the incident], but Olya [Borisova — another band member] and I had our passports photographed. We were warned that if I publish these pictures in social networks, I will be held responsible — you’re not allowed to take pictures of police officers here,” Cheparukhin explained.
The band members were released a few hours after the arrest, with Swiss police driving them to their hotel.
Last week, the Russian embassy in Switzerland claimed that Pussy Riot’s performances in Switzerland constituted a violation of the country’s criminal code.
“The Swiss journalists who rushed to cover these so-called performances, and the local authorities should be aware that one of the members of the 'group' escaped from a court-ordered house arrest in Moscow, and now travels around Europe giving interviews with sweeping criticism of the Russian leadership,” the embassy said in a statement.
The embassy claims that the group’s performances feature “indecent acts that insult Russia and its leadership.”
