Pussy Riot's Nadya Tolokonnikova Arrested at Protest in Moscow

Pussy Riot’s Nadya Tolokonnikova was taken into custody at roughly 4:30 PM local time (GMT+3) on June 12 along with activist Ekaterina Nenasheva in Moscow during an action supporting female prisoners.

Nadya Tolokonnikova carried away by police at a June 12 Moscow protest (Evgeny Feldman.)

Tolokonnikova and Nenasheva came to Bolotnaya Square in prison robes and were equipped with strips of white, red, and blue fabric and a sewing machine, with which they planned to sew together a Russian tricolor. This symbolic action was reminiscent of the forced labor which Nadya and her fellow prisoners were made to perform in the country’s labor camps.

There, a needle of the machine piercing through one’s thumb is a commonplace occurrence of the sort which is entirely neglected by the prisons’ overseers. Constant psychological intimidation is used the force prisoners into their “place,” predetermined by the state which keeps them there.

Outside, while the methods may differ, the goal remains the same. Police arrived at Bolotnaya Square while the women were still setting up their demonstration, and within minutes the two activists were detained in a police bus, with the sewing machine and fabric confiscated.

The statement below was given exclusively to The Voice Project by Nadya about the protest:

Action “DON’T BE AFRAID”
“For 30 days the activist Katherine Nenasheva will be living her regular life wearing a prison robe of a female convict. She goes to exams, takes meetings, goes to the movies, gets groceries, goes out – she continues her daily life.
June 12 is the 18th day of Katherine Nenasheva’s action and also Russia Day – an important holiday in Russia that celebrates our flag and Constitution. On this day I am joining Katherine to sew a huge Russian flag in the same prison uniform that I wore during my time in the prison camps.
We will sew the Russian flag on Bolotnaya square, the square that became the starting point for many years in prison for dozens of activists who went out to protest Putin’s regime in May 2012. So here we are, on this square, and we will sew the sign “PRISON CAMP RUSSIA” to the face of the Russian flag on Russia Day.
-Nadya Tolokonnikova”

While the women set out on Russia’s national holiday with the goal of showing their government’s true face by their demonstration, it appears that the state has instead done their work for them.

At the time of publishing neither Tolokonnikova nor Nenasheva has been released. The Voice Project will continue to provide updates as they arise.