Russian punk star lodges complaint about jail conditions

Jailed Pussy Riot star Nadezhda Tolokonnikova has lodged a formal complaint about inhumane living conditions in the labour camp where she is serving a two-year jail sentence. The Russian rocker is demanding officials visit Penal Colony No. 14 in Mordovia for a formal inspection as she alleges the facility has poor sanitation, fire safety issues, and that prisoners’ rights are routinely violated.
Her official grievance has been forwarded to the Mordovian Prosecutor Generals Office for a ruling. The move by Tolokonnikova comes just weeks after she lost her request for parole last month (Apr13).
Tolokonnikova and her Pussy Riot bandmate Maria Alekhina are serving two-year sentences for hooliganism after performing a protest song against President Vladimir Putin at a Moscow church last year (12).
A third Pussy Riot member, Yekaterina Samutsevich, was freed on appeal in October (12) when her sentence was commuted.