Pussy Riot activists fined for rainbow flag protests on Putin’s birthday

On Monday, November 23, two Moscow courts handed down fines to Pussy Riot activists Maria Alyokhina and Veronika Nikulshina for a protest action they conducted on Russian President Vladimir Putin’s birthday, reports MBX Media. 

Both activists were fined under administrative charges of violating the regulations for holding rallies (article 20.2, section five of the Administrative Code). According to lawyer Dmitry Zakhvatov, Moscow’s Presnensky District Court fined Alyokhina 15,000 rubles ($197).

Earlier today, the Meshchansky District Court fined Nikulshina 10,000 rubles ($131).

Nikulshina and Alyokhina were arrested on October 8 over a protest action in support of LGBTQ+ rights they had conducted the day before. The activists hung rainbow flags on various government buildings around Moscow, including the Federal Security Service (FSB) headquarters, the Presidential Executive Office, the Supreme Court, the Culture Ministry, and the Basmanny District police headquarters.

During the action, the activists presented a list of demands, which included the legalization of same-sex partnerships, as well as an investigation into the abductions and killings of LGBTQ people in Russia’s Chechnya. The protest was timed to coincide with Russian President Vladimir Putin’s 68th birthday.