The World Cup Pussy Riot protesters have been arrested – again

Remember the four Pussy Riot protesters that stormed the pitch during the World Cup final in Moscow earlier this month? They were set to be released from prison yesterday, but then they were arrested again, this time on charges of “the organisation and holding of public events without prior written notice”. According to a post on Pussy Riot’s Twitter, the charge can bring up to 10 days in prison.

Olga Pakhtusova, Veronika “Nika” Nikulshina, Olga Kuracheva, and Petya Verzilov had been held for 15 days of “administrative arrest” after taking to the World Cup field in old fashioned police uniforms on July 15. In the interim, they’ve shared multiple new songs, including “Track about Good Cop”, which references aggressive and oppressive policing.

They have also released a list of demands to the Russian government: “Let all political prisoners free; Not imprison for ‘likes’; stop illegal arrests on rallies; allow political competition in the country; and not fabricate criminal accusations and not keep people in jails for no reason”.

Despite their unpleasant – and frankly dangerous – position in custody, the Pussy Riot members have been maintaining a brave face, as shown in their tweets below.