July 31 (UPI) — Members of the activist group Pussy Riot on Monday were re-arrested after they left a Moscow jail where they were held for running onto the pitch of a World Cup game earlier this month.
It’s not yet clear what the reason for the arrest was, according to TASS, the Russian news agency. And in a tweet, one of the three activists who were arrested — Pyotr Verzilov — said there were not any new charges.
Verzilov, Nika Nikulshina, Olga Kurachyova and Olga Pakhtusova were arrested on July 15 and held for 15 days after they wore police uniforms and ran onto the pitch of the World Cup final between France and Croatia at Moscow’s Luzhniki stadium to protest human rights abuses in Russia.
The activists were charged for violating the code of conduct for spectators at events and for illegally wearing police uniforms.
“Throughout the World Cup, which I really enjoyed, there wasn’t a word of political criticism [against the government],” Verzilov said earlier this month in an interview from jail, according to the BBC. “I categorically disagree with Western countries who call for a boycott of Russian sporting events. But to avoid criticizing what’s going on in Russia today is wrong.”
