Ex-spokesman for anarchist punk group gets sentenced to eight years in prison by Moscow court
(MENAFN) Pyotr Verzilov, the former spokesman for the anarchist punk group Pussy Riot, has been sentenced to eight years and four months in prison by a Moscow district court. The sentence, approved on Monday, was handed down in absentia as Verzilov fled the country four years ago.
The case against him was related to allegations of publishing fake news about the Russian military on social media, specifically regarding the events in the Ukrainian town of Bucha in 2022.
Verzilov was accused of deliberate disinformation, with prosecutors arguing that his posts falsely accused Russian troops of massacring civilians in Bucha. These allegations, originating from Kiev and its Western allies, were denied by Moscow. The sentence also includes a ban on Verzilov from being a website administrator.
This is not the first time Verzilov has faced legal trouble. In November, he was sentenced to eight years and six months in prison in absentia, but the verdict was overturned last month due to procedural violations. Verzilov gained public attention in 2008 through his involvement with the Voyna (War) art group, where he staged protests against the government. It was through this group that he met Nadezhda Tolokonnikova, later a co-founder of Pussy Riot and Verzilov's wife.
In 2012, Tolokonnikova and other members of Pussy Riot staged a protest at Moscow's Christ the Savior Cathedral, resulting in their imprisonment for "hooliganism motivated by religious hatred." Verzilov briefly served as the group's spokesman during that time.
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