Long-standing Pussy Riot protest group member and political activist Pytor Verzilov, is facing 15 days in jail on charges pertaining to petty hooliganism.
Verzilov was arrested at his apartment by unidentified men who broke his door down with a sledgehammer on Sunday, June 25th.
He was reportedly questioned for 12 hours by anti-extremism police in a Moscow police station about his involvement in the 2019 Moscow protests that culminated in a clash between protestors and police. The protest saw the police arrest around 1,300 people.
Verzilov was in Estonia when the protest took place.
“There were a lot of questions about [the opposition leader Alexei] Navalny and my trips abroad,” the activist told MediaZona.
Following the questioning, Verzilov alleges that he was assaulted in what he has a described as a police provocation. The altercation resulted in the activist being taken back into police custody almost immediately. He was held overnight and now faces hooliganism charges that carry a maximum sentence of 15 days.
The activist attracted global attention back in 2018 following a stunt executed by him and three other Pussy Riot activists that saw them launch a pitch invasion at the World Cup final to protest police brutality. The stunt saw the Pussy Riot protestors serve fifteen days in prison.
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Two months after the arrest, Verzilov fell critically ill from what other members of Pussy Riot suspect to be poisoning.
Earlier this month, Pussy Riot joined forces with Argentinian artists Parcas, Dillom, and Muerejoven on a police brutality protest song, ‘1312’.
The track is a searing indictment of femicide in Latin America and police violence. ‘1312’ is a the numerical representation of of ACAB. The nu-metal tinged track culminates with singer Nadya Tolokonnikova screeching “ACAB try to catch me wow!”.
The track was penned in response to a protest that took place in Chile last year. The anti-government display incited a violent police response, leaving thousands of protesters injured, at least 30 dead, and 445 blinded.
Check out ‘1312’ by Pussy Riot:
