A court in Moscow has replaced the one-year parole-like sentence handed to Lyusya Shtein, a member of the Pussy Riot protest group and a Moscow municipal lawmaker, to actual prison time, saying she violated the terms of her punishment when she fled the country.
The Presnensky district court on June 30 approved the request made by the Federal Penitentiary Service (FSIN) to change the sentence Shtein was handed in August 2021. She was sentenced for publicly calling for the violation of coronavirus safety precautions because she urged people to participate in unsanctioned rallies to support jailed opposition politician Aleksei Navalny.
The court ruled that Shtein must spend 31 days in prison, which is the remaining part of her term.
In mid-May, the Interior Ministry said it had added Shtein to its registry of wanted persons because she left the country in April, violating her sentence.
Several of Navalny's supporters and associates have been convicted on similar charges and were handed restricted freedom sentences. Many subsequently fled Russia and had their parole-like sentences replaced with actual prison terms.
