A musician from the Russian protest group Pussy Riot told The Guardian that her imprisonment included nearly three weeks of forced daily gynecological exams.
“I decided to become a human rights activist when I realised how easy it was for officials to make a decision and force women to be examined in the most intimate parts of their bodies. Russian officials should not stay unpunished, they cannot have this kind of absolute power over us,” Maria Alyokhina, who was put in prison for almost two years after a performance critical of Russian President Vladimir Putin, said.
Staff for a public oversight commission confirmed to The Guardian that women in Russian prisons, including Alyokhina, had been subjected to the treatment.
Alyokhina and another member of the group were released from prison Monday.
