Pussy Riot Members Released After Being Detained In Sochi

Members of controversial punk band Pussy Riot were detained by police at the Winter Olympics in Sochi yesterday, only to be released three hours later.

Maria Alyokhina and Nadezhda Tolokonnikova, who were only released from prison under amnesty less than two months ago, were held at a police station in the Adler district of Sochi in connection to a theft that happened at the hotel the pair were staying at.

According to Reuters, Alyokhina and Tolokonnikova were held for three hours after police completed their questioning. A crowd of Pussy Riot supporters gathered outside the station and celebrated as the women were released.

Between 12 and 15 people in total were detained surrounding the incident.

Alyokhina and Tolokonnikova were serving a two year sentence on charges of hooliganism and were released last December. The pair have since stated that they are no longer part of the punk act and will focus their attention to campaigning for prisoners' rights.