No parole for Pussy Riot member Maria Alyokhina

Jailed Pussy Riot member Maria Alyokhina, who was sentenced to two years jail time last August, was denied parole for the second time Wednesday.

Alyokhina’s lawyer said that “the prosecutors’ position is legally unfounded” and promised to appeal the decision, according to RIA Novosti. She was previously denied parole in May when prison officials accused her of “deliberately” breaking rules.

She and fellow jailed Pussy Riot member Nadezhda Tolokonnikova (below), who was denied parole in April, were convicted in August 2012 of hooliganism, reports Independent Online.

The group participated in a “punk prayer” in Moscow’s main cathedral in February 2012 in protest to Vladimir Putin’s reelection as Russia’s president.

Multiple musical artists have signed a letter with Amnesty International calling for the release of Alyokhina and Tolokonnikova, according to Rolling Stone. The list includes a wide and varied range of singers and groups: Paul McCartney, Bruce Springsteen, Adele, Radiohead, Madonna, Yoko Ono, Patti Smith, Sting, and Ke$ha.

The letter says that the effects of the group’s “shockingly unjust trial and imprisonment has spread far and wide, especially among your fellow artists, musicians and citizens around the world.”

Alyokhina was not brought to court in the city, which is approximately 680 miles from the jail she resides in, but addressed the judge via a video chat, according to the BBC.

Images: WikiCommons, WikiCommons