A Russian Amnesty Deal Could Free Jailed Pussy Riot Protesters

Russia could possibly pardon two jailed members of Pussy Riot, along with a group of Greenpeace protesters and many others, under an amnesty deal being considered in the country's parliament.

Russia could possibly pardon two jailed members of Pussy Riot, along with a group of Greenpeace protesters and many others, under an amnesty deal being considered in the country's parliament. The deal, which posted to the lower house of parliament's website, was apparently drafted by Russian President Vladimir Putin and is part of the country's plan to mark the 20th anniversary of the Russian constitution.

The draft deal doesn't name specific prisoners eligible for release, only the charges and circumstances that would qualify them. And one of the charges cleared for amnesty under the draft deal is "hooliganism." Since that's what Pussy Riot's Nadezhda Tolokonnikova and Maria Alyokhina are currently jailed for, Russian media have speculated that the two protesters could be freed once the deal is approved. The 30 Greenpeace protesters arrested earlier this year after attempting to scale an offshore drilling platform are also facing "hooliganism" charges. Those protesters are currently on bail. 

None of these release are confirmed at this point, however, as the deal has far to before being approved. Although Twitter lit up earlier on Tuesday with news that  Tolokonnikova and Alyokhina's release was "confirmed." That confirmation seems to be based on a statement from Tolokonnikova's husband Pyotr Verzilov, posted to the Voice Project blog: 

“It’s from the Kremlin and official already, they will be freed,” Pyotr told us today. Though he added, “We do not know yet when this will happen, because it is unclear when the bill will be voted by the Duma and how fast it will be applied to prisons – could be from 2 weeks to 2 months until they are freed.”

Verzilov is obviously operation under the assumption that if Putin wants it to happen, it's going to happen. That's a pretty good assumption, but it still might be too early to celebrate.

Tolokonnikova went missing for 26 days this fall after going on a hunger strike to protest the conditions at the Mordovia penal colony. In mid-November, Pyotr announced that he'd finally located her in a hospital. 

So the amnesty deal, which could free thousands of Russian prisoners, is some rare hopeful news for those following the Pussy Riot saga. But it's too soon to say when — or if — the protesters will actually be released.  One member of the group, Yekaterina Samutsevich, was released early in October. The three were jailed in 2012 for their anti-government protest in a Russian Orthodox church, which was deemed blasphemous by the courts.