Pussy Riot members jailed for World Cup final protest

Four members of punk protest group Pussy Riot have been jailed for 15 days

Moscow, July 17: A court in Russia has sentenced four members of protest group Pussy Riot to 15 days in jail for invading the pitch at the World Cup final in Moscow.

The pitch invasion took place early in the second half The pitch invasion took place early in the second half

Notorious for their imaginative costumes and explosive demonstrations, Pussy Riot's members are staunch critics of Russian president Vladimir Putin, calling for judicial, educational and cultural reforms in the country.

The group's official Twitter account confirmed the 15-day administrative arrest of Veronica Nikulshina, Olga Kurachova, Pyotr Verzilov and Olga Pakhtusova, all four of whom have been banned from attending sports events for three years.

Ourt fourth member, Olga Pakhtusova, gets 15 days of arrest and a ban to visit sports events for 3 years. pic.twitter.com/EdifeIg3tQ
— (@pussyrrriot) July 16, 2018

The protesters, who dressed in Russian police uniforms to invade the pitch at Luzhniki Stadium, were found to have violated the rules of conduct of spectators during the holding of official sports events and also wearing a police uniform without authorisation.

Source: OPTA