Pussy Riot to Form New Group

It's a human rights group called Zona Prava
By Arden Dier,  Newser Staff
Posted Dec 27, 2013 11:21 AM CST
Pussy Riot to Form New Group
Pussy Riot members Nadezhda Tolokonnikova, right, and Maria Alekhina answer questions during a news conference in Moscow, Russia, today.   (AP Photo/Ivan Sekretarev)

It seems prison only put more fire in the bellies of Pussy Riot members Nadezhda Tolokonnikova and Maria Alyokhina. While they continue to be no fans of Vladimir Putin, in a press conference today the two announced their new focus: forming a human rights group to fight for prison reform, USA Today reports. The crowd-funded group will be called "Zona Prava," or "justice zone" (the Financial Times translates it as "Zone of Law"), and they hope newly freed Mikhail Khodorkovsky will contribute "on an ideological level," Tolokonnikova said.

"We are not Pussy Riot now," Tolokonnikova continued, explaining they won't tour in order to raise money for the new group. But the FT reports that they said Pussy Riot would continue to perform. Alyokhina, who became emotional while talking about her fellow inmates, discussed their motivation: "In the penal colonies, there are people who are on the brink of life and death." That's not to say they've softened to Putin in any way. "We'd like to do what we said in our last action—we'd like him to go away," Tolokonnikova added. When asked who should replace Putin, both Alyokhina and Tolokonnikova gave the same answer: Khodorkovsky, the Telegraph reports. (More Pussy Riot stories.)

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