Moscow police arrest another Pussy Riot activist days after her colleagues fled the country citing persecution
On July 21, Moscow police arrested Pussy Riot member Rita Flores outside her home. According to preliminary reports, she has been taken to a police station. The reason for her detention has yet to be disclosed.
Pussy Riot representatives told Meduza that Flores was on her way to visit her fellow activist Maria Alyokhina, who is currently in custody in a special detention center in Moscow.
After finishing a 15-day jail sentence on July 8, Alyokhina was detained immediately upon her release and handed another 15 days behind bars for allegedly disobeying police officers.
Earlier this week, Pussy Riot activists Veronika Nikulshina and Alexander Sofeev fled Russia citing persecution. Both Nikulshina and Sofeev left the country after serving two 15-day jail sentences back to back. According to Interfax, filmmaker Anna Kuzminykh, who was detained and jailed alongside Pussy Riot activists back in June, also left Russia this week after being released from custody.
Pussy Riot member and municipal deputy Lyusya Shteyn was also jailed in June.
Rita Flores has taken part in a number of protest actions organized by Pussy Riot. For example, in November 2020, she and Maria Alyokhina dressed up in Russian folk costumes and tied a mannequin dressed as a riot police officer to a post near the Kremlin.
