Incarcerated Pussy Riot member Nadezhda Tolokonnikova was recently reported missing after authorities moved her without telling her family members where she was. Now, it's been reported that Tolokonnikova has been sent to a new prison in Siberia.
This news comes from the 23-year-old Tolokonnikov's husband, Petya Verzilov, who says that the punk activist has been moved from her prior prison in Mordovia due to her criticism of Russian authorities. She recently staged a hunger strike and issued a public letter denouncing the conditions.
Her new prison is apparently located in the region of Krasnoyarsk, about 4,000 km east of Moscow. While the exact prison is still unknown, it's believed that she will be held in the town of Nizhny Ingash, well away from any urban centres.
"They do not have the ability to put on the usual psychological or physical pressure they can use with inmates because of the high profile of the case," Verzilov said [via the Guardian]. "So they have chosen this as the punishment instead."
He added that his information regarding the move to Siberia is "100 percent reliable."
According to human rights ombudsman Vladimir Lukin, Tolokonnikov is in satisfactory health and is being accompanied by a doctor on her journey. The Pussy Riot member was previously hospitalized due to her hunger strike.
She's being isolated during her transfer for alleged security reasons. It's apparently standard practice for families to be kept in the dark while a prisoner is being transferred, with the official confirmation apparently only coming once the prisoner has arrived at his or her final destination.
She is in jail for her role in staging a political protest at Moscow's Christ the Savior Cathedral in early 2012.
This news comes from the 23-year-old Tolokonnikov's husband, Petya Verzilov, who says that the punk activist has been moved from her prior prison in Mordovia due to her criticism of Russian authorities. She recently staged a hunger strike and issued a public letter denouncing the conditions.
Her new prison is apparently located in the region of Krasnoyarsk, about 4,000 km east of Moscow. While the exact prison is still unknown, it's believed that she will be held in the town of Nizhny Ingash, well away from any urban centres.
"They do not have the ability to put on the usual psychological or physical pressure they can use with inmates because of the high profile of the case," Verzilov said [via the Guardian]. "So they have chosen this as the punishment instead."
He added that his information regarding the move to Siberia is "100 percent reliable."
According to human rights ombudsman Vladimir Lukin, Tolokonnikov is in satisfactory health and is being accompanied by a doctor on her journey. The Pussy Riot member was previously hospitalized due to her hunger strike.
She's being isolated during her transfer for alleged security reasons. It's apparently standard practice for families to be kept in the dark while a prisoner is being transferred, with the official confirmation apparently only coming once the prisoner has arrived at his or her final destination.
She is in jail for her role in staging a political protest at Moscow's Christ the Savior Cathedral in early 2012.
