MOSCOW -- A second member of the Russian protest collective Pussy Riot has been punished by a Moscow court for her part in a performance last month to highlight harsh prison sentences handed down against people who hurled plastic cups and plastic bottles at police.
Lawyer Mansur Gilmanov said on December 17 that Maria Alyokhina was found guilty of violating regulations on public gatherings and ordered to pay 15,000-ruble ($204) fine.
On November 28, Alyokhina, her colleague Rita Flores, also known as Margarita Konovalova, and artist Farkhad Israfilli-Gelman staged a performance they called "Fragile! Handle With Care!" not far from the State History Museum near Red Square in the Russian capital.
In it, the women, in Russian national dress, tied Israfilli-Gelman, who was wearing a riot-police uniform, to a light pole with packing tape.
The event highlighted cases against protesters who received prison terms last year for throwing plastic objects at police who were dispersing rallies in Moscow.
On December 3, Flores was found guilty of repeatedly violating the law on public gatherings and sentenced to 20 days in jail.
Israfilli-Gelman's trial for allegedly violating the law on public gatherings is pending.
