Russian political activist and member of performance art group Pussy Riot Maria Alyokhina is currently in Iceland. Alyokhina fled Russia after the country’s authorities announced that her house arrest would be converted to a 21-day sentence in a penal colony. Alyokhina told the New York Times she hopes to return to Russia.
Alyokhina is currently in Iceland along with other members of Pussy Riot, who are rehearsing for an upcoming European tour. Alyokhina herself first fled her home country for Belorussia, where her first two attempts to cross the border into Lithuania were unsuccessful. The Times reports that Icelandic artist Ragnar Kjartansson played a part in securing a travel document from a European country for Alyokhina, which helped her successfully board a bus for Lithuania.
Sveinn H. Guðmarsson, communications officer at Iceland’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed to RÚV that the band members are in Iceland as refugees, but declined to provide further information. The band plans to perform in Iceland this fall.
