Jailed Pussy Riot Member Goes on Hunger Strike

One of the still-jailed members of Pussy Riot has declared a hunger strike, RIA Novosti reports, after a Russian court denied Maria Alyokhina access to her own parole appeal. She had been participating via video, but when denied transportation to the courthouse, she refused to keep participating and prohibited her defense team from continuing to represent her. The Guardian reports that Alyokhina had been required to fax in all her motions, which meant the hearing was regularly paused.

She made her hunger strike declaration at the end of today's hearing; proceedings are scheduled to continue tomorrow. "Let the troika sitting here—the judge, the prosecutor, and the colony employee—decide my fate," she said. Alyokhina was sentenced to two years in prison last year for the punk band's performance of an anti-Putin song; two other band members were also sentenced, but one has since been released. (More Pussy Riot stories.)