August 2 – Four members of Russia’s anti-Kremlin ‘Pussy Riot’ protest group, who staged a pitch invasion during the World Cup final, have been released from police custody after being detained for 16 days, their lawyer says.
The group served their sentence for running onto the pitch wearing police uniforms during the second half between Croatia and France on July 15, briefly holding up play.
They were due to be freed on Monday, but were immediately detained after being released and held for another 24 hours before being finally released according to lawyer Nikolai Vasilyev.
The protest, designed to promote free speech, marked a rare breach in an otherwise high-security tournament.
‘Pussy Riot’ came to prominence in 2012 when its members were jailed for staging a protest against Vladimir Putin in a Russian Orthodox cathedral in Moscow.
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