Russian punk rock band protester in single cell after tensions with inmates

Source: Reuters through Yahoo

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Jailed Pussy Riot punk protester Maria Alyokhina has been moved to a single cell at her own request because of tensions with fellow prisoners, Russia's federal penitentiary service said on Friday.

Alyokhina, 24, is serving a two-year sentence for carrying out a raucous protest against President Vladimir Putin in Moscow's main Russian Orthodox cathedral. Activists said her trial, alongside two other band-mates, was part of a crackdown on dissent.

"Some tensions arose in relationships and, apparently, to prevent this situation from escalating, she decided to submit a request to the prison leadership and they moved her to a one-person cell," a prison service spokeswoman said.

The spokeswoman dismissed Russian media reports that Alyokhina had been caught up in religious arguments with fellow prisoners. Pussy Riot's protest offended many members of Russia's Orthodox Church.

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