Pussy Riot member ‘missing’ since transfer to new prison

GlobalPost

Pussy Riot band member Nadezhda Tolokonnikova has been "missing" since being transferred to a new prison in Russia, her family says.

Russia's Federal Penitentiary Service confirmed the transfer and said Tolokonnikova's family would be notified within 10 days of her arrival per regulations.

More from GlobalPost: In-depth series: Pussy Riot found guilty

But those 10 days are up, and Tolokonnikova's husband said they still don't know where she is.

Tolokonnikova, 24, was on a hunger strike at a prison in Moldovia and had been hospitalized.

She is serving two years in prison following Pussy Riot's performance protesting Vladmir Putin in Moscow's main Orthodox cathedral in 2012.

Another band member, Maria Alyokhina, was also jailed while the third has been released on appeal.

More from GlobalPost: Jailed Pussy Riot hunger striker Nadezhda Tolokonnikova in hospital

Tolokonnikova has complained of abuses by the prison staff in Mordovia and demanded a transfer. Prison officials granted her request in mid-October, and her family had called it "a victory" at the time, but now they're worried.

Her husband, Pyotr Verzilov, told Buzzfeed he believes she's being punished for her protests.

"They want to cut her off from the outside world," he said.

Verzilov said he last knew of his wife's whereabouts on Oct. 24.

Will you support The World?

Without federal support, local stations, especially in rural and underserved areas, face deep cuts or even closure. Vital public service alerts, news, storytelling, and programming like The World will be impacted. The World has weathered many storms, and we remain steadfast in our commitment to being your trusted source for human-centered international news, shared with integrity and care. We believe public media is about truth and access for all. As an independent, nonprofit newsroom, we aren’t controlled by billionaire owners or corporations. We are sustained by listeners like you.

Now more than ever, we need your help to support our global reporting work and power the future of The World.