Pussy Riot Member: Forced Daily Gynecological Exams In Russian Jail

In this video frame grab made available by Associated Press Television News, two members of the Russian punk band Pussy Riot Nadezhda Tolokonnikova , left, and Maria Alekhina talk to press in Krasnoyarsk on Tuesday, ... In this video frame grab made available by Associated Press Television News, two members of the Russian punk band Pussy Riot Nadezhda Tolokonnikova , left, and Maria Alekhina talk to press in Krasnoyarsk on Tuesday, Dec. 24, 2013. Alekhina, who walked free from a prison Monday morning, flew into the eastern Siberian city of Krasnoyarsk early on Tuesday to meet her band mate who was released late Monday. Two members of the Russian punk band Pussy Riot reunited on Tuesday after spending nearly two years in prison for their protest at Moscow’s main cathedral. (AP Photo/ APTN) MORE LESS
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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.

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