Pussy Riot attacked in Russia

Maria Alyokhina and Nadezhda Tolokonnikova appear to have been assaulted with pepper spray and an antiseptic liquid

Published March 6, 2014 8:50PM (EST)

Maria Alyokhina and Nadezhda Tolokonnikova    (YouTube)
Maria Alyokhina and Nadezhda Tolokonnikova (YouTube)

Maria Alyokhina and Nadezhda Tolokonnikova were attacked by a group of men in Nizhny Novgorod, Russia, Thursday, according to a report from the Moscow Times.

Alyokhina and Tolokonnikova were in the city to meet with women at a local prison. According to reports, the two women were eating when they were assaulted by five men who attacked them with "metal objects," a green antiseptic liquid and pepper spray.

Amnesty International has called for an investigation into the attack. “By all accounts, this violent attack appears to have been premeditated by an organized group," Sergei Nikitin, director of Amnesty International's Moscow office, said in a statement. "The unidentified assailants chanted slogans, held aloft a banner and filmed the entire incident."

Here is a video posted to YouTube after the incident:

h/t Huffintgon Post


By Katie McDonough

Katie McDonough is Salon's politics writer, focusing on gender, sexuality and reproductive justice. Follow her on Twitter @kmcdonovgh or email her at kmcdonough@salon.com.

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Maria Alyokhina Nadezhda Tolokonnikova Pussy Riot Russia Video