. Nadezhda Tolokonnikova was arrested on March 2, 2012 for participating in the infamous “punk prayer service.” Former member of the Voina art group, which works in the field of conceptual protest street art.
Nadezhda Tolokonnikova born on November 7, 1989 in Norilsk. A year after the birth of their daughter, the family moved to Krasnoyarsk, and a few years later they returned back to Norilsk. Up to four years of education Nadezhda Tolokonnikova Father and grandmother were engaged.
After graduating from school, the girl went to Moscow and became a student at the Faculty of Philosophy of Moscow State University. In dorm Nadezhda Tolokonnikova met the artist Peter Verzilov, whom she later married. In 2008, 18-year-old Nadezhda gave birth to a daughter, Gera.
Nadezhda Tolokonnikova about her daughter: “The name Hera was born spontaneously. Nobody came up with it. Mythology was in the air. No one can now point to the person who suggested this name. At first I didn’t dare to accept it. During the discussions, different names were proposed. So, for example, Petya’s mother really wanted to name her Marusya. Well, what is Marusya like? Are you kidding me? How much did she hitchhike when I was in my third month! I traveled alone through Spain and Portugal. I traveled all over the peninsula. Of course, I wouldn’t dare to travel around Russia like that.”
Long before creation Pussy Riot Nadezhda Tolokonnikova managed to become famous as a participant in a number of scandalous events. On February 29, 2008, she took part in the action of the art group “War”, which was a group orgy at the Biological Museum. K.A. Timiryazev. According to the organizers, this action was timed to coincide with the presidential elections. Four couples took part in the action, and two weeks later they were detained on the territory of Moscow State University Nadezhda Tolokonnikova and former student of the Faculty of Philosophy of Moscow State University Vladimir Shilov. The girl was going to be expelled from the university, but later the dean changed his decision.
At this time, Nadezhda Tolokonnikova was pregnant. Four days after the action, she gave birth to a daughter, Hera.
Later Nadezhda Tolokonnikova took part in other projects of the Voina art group, including the “cockroach court” (throwing cockroaches in the Tagansky court building in 2010) and drawing a phallus on the Liteiny Bridge in St. Petersburg. The last action became a laureate of the Innovation Award.
Nadezhda Tolokonnikova: “I like to get into extreme situations since childhood. I remember that I always lacked something unusual in life. So, for example, while riding a Ferris wheel, reaching the very top, I began to think about how I would save myself if the cradle in which I was sitting began to fall. So I collected my crumbs of adrenaline. Sitting on the second floor of a house in the country, I imagined that the house would catch fire and how I would jump from the roof, and wondered if I would break my legs or if I would fall on a tree and whether it would pierce me through. I have never lived in peace. Europe is boring because there is nothing to do there. And nothing can be done there. In Russia everything is different. Everything is unclear here. Everything is unclear. The boundaries of legality are blurred."
In August 2011 Nadezhda Tolokonnikova became a member of a punk rock band Pussy Riot. On March 3, 2012, she and Maria Alyokhina were arrested on charges of hooliganism in connection with participation in the so-called punk prayer. During this action, participants Pussy Riot They ran to the pulpit and sole of the Cathedral of Christ the Savior, where they tried to sing their new song “Virgin Mother of God, drive Putin away.” The preliminary investigation was completed in June 2012. As a result Nadezhda Tolokonnikova and two other members of Pussy Riot were charged with hooliganism motivated by religious hatred, committed by a group of persons by prior conspiracy.
In defense Nadezhda Tolokonnikova, Maria Alyokhina And Ekaterina Samutsevich many Russian and foreign actors and musicians performed, including Peter Gabriel, Madonna, group Red Hot Chili Peppers, English actor Stephen Fry, director Terry Gilliam and many others.
August 17, 2012 Nadezhda Tolokonnikova, Maria Alyokhina And Ekaterina Samutsevich were found guilty of hooliganism motivated by religious hatred. The girls were sentenced to two years in prison to serve their sentences in a general regime correctional colony. According to the judges, the defendants suffer from a mixed personality disorder, but were fully aware of their actions and their consequences, and therefore were declared sane and subject to criminal prosecution. The court considered the actions Nadezhda Tolokonnikova and other participants Pussy Riot a crime committed based on religious hatred.
According to the prosecution, the girls “intended to give their actions publicity and public resonance, they wanted to offend not only the ministers of the temple, but also the general public, they inflicted a deep insult and offense on the Orthodox believers.”
Nadezhda Tolokonnikova said in her last word at the trial: “Listen to us - us, and not Arkady Mamontov, do not distort or misinterpret everything we have said, and allow us to enter into dialogue, contact with the country, which is also ours, and not only Putin and the Patriarch.”
Nadezhda Tolokonnikova and other convicts stated that they do not intend to ask the president for a pardon.
Even during the trial, protection of the members of the punk band Pussy Riot took care of the issues of guardianship of the defendants’ young children in order to avoid their transfer to foster families if their mothers were sentenced. In the spring of 2012, when there was a risk of arrest Petra Verzilova, husband Nadezhda Tolokonnikova, documents were prepared. In the event of a possible threat, a lawyer becomes the guardian of four-year-old Gera, daughter of Nadezhda Tolokonnikova and Pyotr Verzilov Mark Feigin.
As an infant, Hera was seriously injured due to her mother's carelessness. After a quarrel with her family, Nadezhda Tolokonnikova went to live with friends, where there were no suitable conditions for the child. At the age of two months, the girl fell from the computer table, where she was swaddled and often left unattended. Gera was diagnosed with a linear fracture of the parietal part of the skull, hematoma, brain contusion.
In 2013, Nadezhda Tolokonnikova was recognized by Echo Moscow radio as one of the “100 most influential women in Russia.” MAXIM magazine included Nadezhda Tolokonnikova in the list of the 100 sexiest women in Russia in 2012.
Also the French newspaper " Le Figaro» recognized Nadezhda Tolokonnikova“woman of the year”, since, according to the publication, the girl was able to attract maximum attention of the world community to the problem of freedom of speech in Russia, Nadezhda overtook Michelle Obama and Meryl Streep.
Nadezhda Tolokonnikova served a sentence under the article “Hooliganism” (Article 213 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation) in the Mordovian women's colony IK-14. On September 23, 2013, the art activist went on a hunger strike. The reason for such a radical measure was threats (lethal reprisals) from the administration of the colony, which by this method tried to suppress Nadezhda’s indignation about m massive violation of the rights of convicted women in IK-14. Nadezhda Tolokonnikova passed it on through my husband Petra Verzilova an open letter in which she detailed all the violations and described the behavior of those in power.
The crew in the sewing shop works 16–17 hours a day. From 7.30 to 0.30. Sleep is at best four hours a day. The day off happens once every month and a half. Almost all Sundays are working days. A system of informal punishments is widely used. The convict becomes obedient material in the hands of the administration, which views us exclusively as free labor. In June 2013, the salary was 29 rubles. The team sews 150 police suits a day. Where does the money received for them go? - Nadezhda Tolokonnikova asks in a letter.
Sanitary conditions, according to Nadezhda Tolokonnikova, leave much to be desired: laundry is done once a week, clogged drains spewing excrement, one shower for 800 people, etc. If the convict’s complaint manages to reach higher authorities, then the colony administration punishes not only the author of the complaint, but also the entire team, for example, they turn off the water for a week. Tolokonnikova’s attempts to eliminate the violations were suppressed by the bosses in radical ways - other convicts were given direct orders from above to humiliate Nadezhda physically and mentally. As the art activist herself explains: “And if they find out that this happened because of you,” continued Lieutenant Colonel Kupriyanov, “then you will definitely never feel bad again, because bad things don’t happen in the next world.” Any bodily harm in the colony is inflicted only with the approval of the administration.
Nadezhda Tolokonnikova, in her statement to the Investigative Committee, asks to initiate a criminal case under the article “threat of murder” against the deputy head of IK-14, Yuri Kupriyanov. She also asks to be provided with protective measures, since she receives threats from a prison officer and from other prisoners,” explains lawyer Irina Khrunova.
Also Nadezhda Tolokonnikova ask to transfer her from the sewing workshop to the art workshop. Toloknnikova sent a letter to the Investigative Committee, the Federal Penitentiary Service and the Commissioner for Human Rights Vladimir Lukin, as well as in some media. Lieutenant colonel Kupriyanov filed a counterclaim against the convicted person - about inducement to commit an official offense - the creation of preferential conditions for Tolokonnikova. On September 25, 2013, the commission of the Human Rights Council under the President of the Russian Federation began work in correctional colony No. 14. It should be noted that another convicted member of the group “ Pussy Riot» Maria AlyokhinaI've been hungry for over a week because of the pressure on her in the colony. The release of the two art activists is scheduled for March 2014.
Activity: political activist, musician
Place of Birth: Norilsk
Weight: 72 kg
Height: 175 cm
Zodiac sign: Scorpion
Nadezhda Tolokonnikova is a woman who, probably, is simply impossible to relate to unambiguously. Some call her an ardent patriot of Russia and one of the most prominent political figures of the new wave. Such a judgment has a right to life. As, indeed, is the opinion of the opposite group of people who call her a mentally unstable person and the most common hooligan. One way or another, in our article today we will try to refrain from making any judgments and conclusions about the personality of this political activist and will try to tell with restraint and impartiality about her life and fate. Where did the political career of this extraordinary girl begin? What actions and actions made the whole of Europe talk about her. More about all this in our biographical article.
The future political activist was born in distant and snowy Norilsk. Literally a year after the birth of their daughter, her parents moved to, but a few years later they returned to Norilsk again. In her early childhood, the girl’s upbringing was mainly done by her grandmother, but later the parents also began to take an active part in their daughter’s life.
The action at the zoological museum, in which Nadezhda Tolokonnikova took part, caused a stir
From her earliest years, Nadezhda Tolokonnikova was distinguished by her expressive character and unique view of the events around her. Among the main advantages of our today's heroine, all her acquaintances consider the rare - for the modern world - ability not to be indifferent to the fate of other people and only the state as a whole. Perhaps it was precisely these qualities that predetermined the entire future fate of Nadezhda Tolokonnikova. After graduating from a general education school, the future political activist moved to Moscow, where she soon entered the Faculty of Philosophy of Moscow State University. Some time later, our today's heroine met a young artist and political activist Pyotr Verzilov. Their political and social views coincided in many ways, and therefore the two young people quickly found a common language. Together they hitchhiked through Spain and Portugal, and subsequently returned to Russia and became husband and wife. In 2008, Nadezhda gave birth to her husband’s daughter, Gera. During this period, the girl was seventeen years old.
At the end of the 2000s, our today’s heroine began to take an active part in various events organized by the art group “War”. Being five months pregnant, Nadezhda Tolokonnikova took part in a scandalous sexual orgy that took place at the Biological Museum. K.A. Timiryazeva-. This action was timed to coincide with the presidential elections in Russia and, according to the organizers of this action, was supposed to become a kind of sarcastic parody of what was happening in the country. Nadezhda Tolokonnikova - Prisoners of conscience: photo selection After this action, they were going to expel the girl from Moscow State University, however, later the university leadership changed their decision and still left Tolokonnikova among the students. Subsequently, our today's heroine continued to participate in various political actions that took place under the auspices of the Voina art group, as well as other public and political organizations. Thus, one of the most famous protest actions has become the public image of a phallic symbol on the Liteiny Bridge, and also the so-called “ta-ra-caniy” court”, during which activists of the socio-political organization rushed into the building of the Tagansky court and began to scatter ta-ra-kans throughout the hall. The girl herself explained the meaning of such campaigns on her pages on social networks. Thus, soon Nadezhda Tolokonnikova (or, as she often called herself, Nadya Tolokno) became one of the most popular and read bloggers in the Russian segment of the Internet. In addition, the political actions of our today's heroine have been repeatedly awarded with various awards both in Russia and in Europe. In mid-2011, Nadezhda Tolokonnikova became one of the members of the art group Pussy Riot. In fact, the only significant action of this group was the so-called punk prayer service in the Cathedral of Christ the Savior. During this performance, a group of girls performed a fragment of their own composition “Virgin Mary, drive away” in the church. Exclusive footage of Tolokonnikova in prison This action was interrupted by representatives of Russian security forces. As a result, Nadezhda Tolokonnikova and two other participants in the Pussy Riot project were detained and brought to trial. The action carried out in the Moscow temple was regarded as hooliganism, committed on the basis of religious hatred. Nadezhda was sentenced to two years in prison and was sent to a general regime colony. In addition, the court resolution contained allegations that the members of the art group suffered from mixed personality disorder. One of the confirmations of this was the fact that Nadezhda’s young daughter Gera repeatedly received injuries due to the actions of her mother, and once even received a linear fracture of the parietal part of the skull .
The trial of the members of the Pussy Riot group was actively covered by representatives of the European and Russian media. Many famous show business stars came out in defense of Nadezhda Tolokonnikova, insisting, like the detainee herself, that this action was not religious, but political in nature. In particular, such stars as Stephen Fry, Red Hot Chili Peppers, and many other Russian and Western celebrities spoke in support of Nadya Tolokno.
Nadezhda Tolokonnikova's husband Pyotr Verzilov with their common daughter
In addition, various political and human rights organizations adopted resolutions in support of the participants in the punk prayer service. Thus, the authoritative company Amnesty International recognized Nadezhda Tolokonnikova and other members of the art group as prisoners of conscience.
In 2012, the French publication Le Figaro named the girl “Woman of the Year.” A year later, the Russian radio station “Echo of Moscow” included Tolokonnikova in its list of the hundred most influential women in Russia. The fact that Nadezhda was repeatedly included in the list of the most desirable and sexiest women in Russia (according to Maxim magazine) and only in the world can be called a kind of support from the famous member of the Pussy Riot group. - (according to the AskMen.com portal).
On the evening of October 15, 2015, the monument to the Soviet Army in the Bulgarian capital Sofia suffered another desecration. Only this time the Bulgarians had nothing to do with it. Nadezhda Tolokonnikova came to Sofia with money from American NGOs. Under the supervision of 54-year-old American director Kevin Booth, Tolokonnikova's friends placed colorful balaclavas on the heads of five bronze Soviet soldiers on a bas-relief at the base of the pedestal. Then Nadya Tolokno, as she is known in queer, gender and LGBG circles, inspiredly recited in front of the cameras the text prepared by American documentarians, mocking the memory of Soviet soldiers.
Nadezhda Tolokonnikova recites a text prepared by the Americans against the backdrop of a desecrated monument to the Soviet Army in the Bulgarian capital of Sofia. October 15, 2015
Nadezhda Andreevna Tolokonnikova was born on November 7, 1989 in Norilsk. She was an excellent student at school and graduated from music school with a degree in piano. In 2007, she moved to Moscow and entered the Faculty of Philosophy at Moscow State University. Soon she joined the anarcho-punk art group “War”. On February 29, 2008, Tolokonnikova, being nine months pregnant, had group sex in one of the halls of the Moscow Biological Museum named after K. A. Timiryazev (in front of journalists’ cameras).
On December 10, 2011, this Nadya Tolokno spoke on behalf of the feminist and LGBT community from the stage of a rally on Bolotnaya Square. On February 21, 2012, together with four other members of the Pussy Riot group, Tolokonnikova participated in the so-called. punk prayer service in the Cathedral of Christ the Savior, and on March 3 was arrested on suspicion of hooliganism. On August 17, 2012, the Khamovnichesky Court found Tolokonnikova guilty of “gross violation of public order, expressing clear disrespect for society, committed on the grounds of religious hatred and enmity” and sentenced her to two years in prison in a general regime colony. The human rights organization Amnesty International immediately recognized all members of the Pussy Riot group as “prisoners of conscience” and called for their immediate release. Nadya Tolokno was released on December 23, 2013 under an amnesty adopted by the State Duma for the 20th anniversary of the Russian Constitution (as convicted under the article “hooliganism”). Tolokonnikova expressed her “gratitude” to her generous homeland a little later. On June 12, 2015, she attempted to sew a Russian flag on Bolotnaya Square in Moscow, dressed in a prisoner's uniform.
Nadya Tolokno made good money from betraying Russia. In 2012, the authoritative American magazine Foreign Policy included her, along with Ekaterina Samutsevich and Maria Alyokhina, among the 100 leading intellectuals in the world. The intellect is so rushing out of them that you only have time to push it back in front of the cameras of journalists in public places. In 2012, in the Russian version of the pornographic magazine Maxim, Madame Tolokonnikova took 21st place in the list of the 100 sexiest women in Russia. This, so to speak, is an achievement in terms of the main profile. And in December 2012, the French newspaper Le Figaro chose Nadya Tolokno as “woman of the year.” Michelle Obama, the wife of the US President, received only second place. Meryl Streep took third place. In March 2013, Tolokonnikova took 72nd place in the list of the 100 most influential women in Russia, compiled annually by the Ekho Moskvy radio station. And in January 2014, Tolokonnikova’s photograph was placed on the cover of The Times newspaper.
From a purely human perspective, we could sympathize with the psychopath (code F65.2 according to WHO ICD-10, exhibitionism) and dropout Nadezhda Tolokonnikova. But you can't. We have no right. The Criminal Code of the Russian Federation has Chapter 25 “Crimes against public health and public morality”, Article 244 “Desecration of the bodies of the dead and their burial places”:
1. Desecration of the bodies of the dead or destruction or damage or desecration of burial sites, grave structures or cemetery buildings, intended for ceremonies in connection with the burial of the dead or their commemoration, -
shall be punishable by a fine in the amount of up to forty thousand rubles, or in the amount of the wages or other income of the convicted person for a period of up to three months, or by compulsory labor for a term of up to three hundred sixty hours, or by corrective labor for a term of up to one year, or by arrest for a term of up to three months.
2. The same acts committed:
a) a group of people, by a group of persons by prior conspiracy or an organized group;
b) based on political, ideological, racial, national or religious hatred or enmity or based on hatred or hostility towards any social group, as well as in relation to a sculptural, architectural structure dedicated to the fight against fascism or victims of fascism, or burial places of participants in the fight against fascism;
c) with the use of violence or the threat of its use, -
shall be punishable by restriction of freedom for a term of up to three years, or forced labor for a term of up to five years, or arrest for a term of three to six months, or imprisonment for a term of up to five years.
How else can you qualify the actions of repeat offender Nadezhda Andreevna Tolokonnikova?
Attempts to demolish and destroy the monument to the Soviet Army in Sofia have been going on since 1993. Bulgarian patriots have been protecting and every day defending the right to exist of the monument to Soviet liberators for 22 years. Every year on May 9 and September 9 (Day of the country's liberation from the Nazis in 1944), Bulgarians lay wreaths and flowers at the monument. In the most difficult days, the brothers lived around the clock in tents near the monument and guarded it with a human chain from rabid fascists and Russophobes. And now - such a blow from behind!
It cannot be denied that the monument has already become the target of vandalism several times. On June 18, 2011, unknown persons at night repainted the statues of Red Army soldiers into American comic book heroes: Superman, Joker, Santa Claus and the symbol of the McDonald's chain, the clown Ronald McDonald. On August 17, 2012, multi-colored balaclavas were placed on the heads of several bronze soldiers on the monument in support of the performance of the Pussy Riot group in Russia. Most likely, it was precisely this moment that American director Kevin Booth wanted to recreate, when Tolokonnikova recited a text prepared by him (or his employees) against the background of the desecrated monument on October 15, 2015. On August 21, 2013, the monument was painted pink, and it was written on it in Czech: “Bulharsko se omlouva!!!” (“Bulgaria Apologizes”) and “Prague 68.” On February 23, 2014, “Glory to Ukraine” was written on the monument and the banner of Ukraine was spray-painted. But the Russians have never done this before. Moreover, they specifically flew thousands of kilometers by plane in order to mock the memory of their ancestors.
Bulgarian Russophobes, of whom, unfortunately, are also found, are delighted. One of them writes: “The Russian girl freed us. When Bulgarians stage a protest against the Occupying Red Army Monument, the Bulgarian police arrest them and keep them tightly handcuffed all night. Today, a Russian action took place at this very facility. True, oppositional, but still Russian. And what did the Bulgarian police do? Didn't show up at all. This is after one day an aunt in uniform rushed alone with a stick against a crowd of more than a hundred people. Today, two guards retreated in front of a group of ten people. Sad but true. Again we will wait for the Russian liberators. This time - girls in balaclavas."
The Bulgarian guards, of course, were not afraid of the size of the group. The Americans presented official journalist IDs and stated that there would be no harm to the monument. The guards had to leave. They won't hit journalists on the head with a stick. If anyone has complaints, let them present them in the manner prescribed by law. The guards did their little job - the names and identities of those present are known.
At one time, the USSR deprived unworthy persons of Soviet citizenship and expelled them outside the state for much lesser crimes. Under Comrade Stalin, senior state security major Pavel Sudoplatov was responsible for working with categories of people like Nadezhda Tolokonnikova. Those who committed desecration of the monument to the Soviet Army in Sofia must answer to the fullest extent of the law. At least, citizens of Russia, for whom compliance with its laws is mandatory not only on the territory of the state, but also beyond its borders. Otherwise, this precedent will undermine the twenty-year efforts of the Bulgarians to preserve the Russian historical heritage in Sofia and throughout Bulgaria in general. Russia cannot and does not have the right to take this slap in the face. If today this goes unpunished for Tolokonnikova and others like her, then tomorrow every liberal creature will stand in line, preparing to spit on the memory of Soviet soldiers abroad, in pursuit of a place on the front pages of American and French newspapers.
The smile of a traitor who made dollars by desecrating the memory of her ancestors. To the delight of customers and as an example to all Orthodox Slavs in Bulgaria
Nadezhda Andreevna Tolokonnikova (Nadya Tolokno) genus. November 7, 1989 in Norilsk, 5th year student at the Faculty of Philosophy of Moscow State University, married to artist Pyotr Verzilov. The daughter of Nadezhda and Peter, Gera, was four years old at the time of her arrest. Both spouses are former members of the art group “Voina”, who participated in most of the high-profile actions of “Voina”, including the scandalous action in 2008 at the State Biological Museum named after K. A. Timiryazev, scattering cockroaches in the Tagansky court building in 2010 (the “Cockroach Court” action, which, according to lawyer Nikolai Polozov, could have caused bias in the consideration of the complaint against arrest by a judge in the Moscow City Court on April 14, 2012) and the action - winner of the “Innovation” award - drawing a phallus on the Liteiny Bridge in front of the FSB building
One of the members of the group Pussy Riot. Nadezhda Tolokonnikova was arrested on March 2, 2012 for participating in the infamous “punk prayer service.” Former member of the Voina art group, which works in the field of conceptual protest street art.
Nadezhda Tolokonnikova born on November 7, 1989 in Norilsk. A year after the birth of their daughter, the family moved to Krasnoyarsk, and a few years later they returned back to Norilsk. Up to four years of education Nadezhda Tolokonnikova Father and grandmother were engaged.
After graduating from school, the girl went to Moscow and became a student at the Faculty of Philosophy of Moscow State University. In dorm Nadezhda Tolokonnikova met an artist whom she later married. In 2008, 18-year-old Nadezhda gave birth to a daughter, Gera.
Nadezhda Tolokonnikova about her daughter: “The name Hera was born spontaneously. Nobody came up with it. Mythology was in the air. No one can now point to the person who suggested this name. At first I didn’t dare to accept it. During the discussions, different names were proposed. So, for example, Petya’s mother really wanted to name her Marusya. Well, what is Marusya like? Are you kidding me? How much did she hitchhike when I was 3 months pregnant? I traveled alone through Spain and Portugal. I traveled all over the peninsula. Of course, I wouldn’t dare to travel around Russia like that.”
Long before the creation of Pussy Riot Nadezhda Tolokonnikova managed to become famous as a participant in a number of scandalous events. On February 29, 2008, she took part in the action of the art group “War”, which was a group orgy at the Biological Museum. K.A. Timiryazev. According to the organizers, this action was timed to coincide with the presidential elections. Four couples took part in the action, and two weeks later they were detained on the territory of Moscow State University Nadezhda Tolokonnikova and former student of the Faculty of Philosophy of Moscow State University Vladimir Shilov. The girl was going to be expelled from the university, but later the dean changed his decision. At that time Nadezhda Tolokonnikova was pregnant. Just 4 days after the action, she gave birth to a daughter, Gera.
Later Nadezhda Tolokonnikova took part in other projects of the Voina art group, including the “cockroach court” (throwing cockroaches in the Tagansky court building in 2010) and drawing a phallus on the Liteiny Bridge in St. Petersburg. The last action became a laureate of the Innovation Award.
Nadezhda Tolokonnikova: “I like to get into extreme situations since childhood. I remember that I always lacked something unusual in life. So, for example, while riding a Ferris wheel, reaching the very top, I began to think about how I would save myself if the cradle in which I was sitting began to fall. So I collected my crumbs of adrenaline. Sitting on the second floor of a house in the country, I imagined that the house would catch fire and how I would jump from the roof, and wondered if I would break my legs or if I would fall on a tree and whether it would pierce me through. I have never lived in peace. Europe is boring because there is nothing to do there. And nothing can be done there. In Russia everything is different. Everything is unclear here. Everything is unclear. The boundaries of legality are blurred."
Pussy Riot and the arrest of Nadezhda Tolokonnikova
In August 2011 Nadezhda Tolokonnikova became a member of the punk rock band Pussy Riot. On March 3, 2012, she and Maria Alyokhina were arrested on charges of hooliganism in connection with participation in the so-called punk prayer. During this action, members of Pussy Riot ran into the pulpit and sole of the Cathedral of Christ the Savior, where they tried to perform their new song “Mother of God, drive Putin away.” The preliminary investigation was completed in June 2012. As a result, Nadezhda Tolokonnikova and two other members of Pussy Riot were charged with hooliganism motivated by religious hatred, committed by a group of people by prior conspiracy.
Many Russian and foreign actors and musicians spoke in defense of Nadezhda Tolokonnikova, Maria Alyokhina and Ekaterina Samutsevich, including Peter Gabriel, Madonna, the Red Hot Chili Peppers, English actor Stephen Fry, director Terry Gilliam and many others.
Verdict to Nadezhda Tolokonnikova
On August 17, 2012, Nadezhda Tolokonnikova, Maria Alyokhina and Ekaterina Samutsevich were found guilty of hooliganism motivated by religious hatred. The girls were sentenced to two years in prison to serve their sentences in a general regime correctional colony. According to the judges, the defendants suffer from a mixed personality disorder, but were fully aware of their actions and their consequences, and therefore were declared sane and subject to criminal prosecution. The court considered the actions of Nadezhda Tolokonnikova and other members of Pussy Riot a crime committed based on religious hatred.
According to the prosecution, the girls “intended to give their actions publicity and public resonance, they wanted to offend not only the ministers of the temple, but also the general public, they inflicted a deep insult and offense on the Orthodox believers.”
Nadezhda Tolokonnikova said in her last word at the trial: “Listen to us - us, and not Arkady Mamontov, do not distort or misinterpret everything we have said, and allow us to enter into dialogue, contact with the country, which is also ours, and not only Putin and the Patriarch.”
Nadezhda Tolokonnikova and other convicts stated that they do not intend to ask the president for a pardon.
Even during the trial, the defense of the members of the punk band Pussy Riot became concerned with the issues of guardianship of the defendants’ young children in order to avoid their transfer to foster families if their mothers were sentenced. In the spring of 2012, when there was a risk of arrest of Pyotr Verzilov, the husband of Nadezhda Tolokonnikova, documents were prepared. In the event of a possible threat by the guardian of a four-year-old Gera, daughter of Nadezhda Tolokonnikova and Pyotr Verzilov, becomes lawyer Mark Feigin.
Hera suffered a serious injury as an infant. After a quarrel with family Nadezhda Tolokonnikova I went to live with friends, where there were no suitable conditions for the child. At the age of two months, the girl fell from the computer table, where she was swaddled and often left unattended. Gera was diagnosed with a linear fracture of the parietal part of the skull, hematoma, brain contusion.
Nadezhda Tolokonnikova is a courageous Russian girl.
The biography of Nadezhda Tolokonnikova is ambiguous and contradictory. Some call the girl an activist and fighter for civil rights, others have an extremely negative attitude.
Nadezhda Tolokonnikova was born on November 7, 1989 in Norilsk. The girl studied at a comprehensive school, while simultaneously studying piano. Indifference to other people's problems and her own opinion on each issue determined the girl's fate.
After graduating from school with a gold medal, Nadezhda decided to receive higher education in the capital, enrolling in the Faculty of Philosophy of Moscow State University.
At the university, the girl met young artists who created the radical art group “War”. The members of the association promoted a new version of avant-garde art. Nadezhda joined the protests and shocking actions of the team. One of the first events in which Tolokonnikova participated was a sexual orgy that took place at the Biological Museum. At this time, the girl was 9 months pregnant. Nadezhda later called the performance “a statement on a political topic using the genre of creationism.”
The next memorable action of the art group took place under the name “Cockroach Trial” during the announcement of the verdict in the case of the organizers of the exhibition “Forbidden Art 2006”. Activists scattered about 3,000 Madagascar cockroaches at the Tagansky Court in the capital. For such antics, Tolokonnikova was threatened with expulsion from Moscow State University, but was still left at the faculty, since she was one of the best students.
Among the antics of the Voina art group, one can highlight an action in a supermarket in St. Petersburg. The member of the association, not paying attention to the buyers, took off her underwear, placed the chicken under her dress, and went out into the street and staged an impromptu birth.
At the age of 22, Nadezhda became a member of the group Pussy Riot, whose concept is anonymity. The team sets itself several goals: fighting the authorities, defending the rights of the LGBT community and promoting feminism. Following the concept, the participants perform in colorful balaclavas to hide their faces. For performances carried out in the form of unauthorized actions, Pussy Riot choose sites not intended for this purpose: from public transport to the roofs of buildings.
The most famous action in the Cathedral of Christ the Savior called “punk prayer”, which received public outcry. The girls came to the temple in masks, stood on a raised platform in front of the altar, turned on the sound amplification equipment, and performed a musical composition with ambiguous content.
Then Nadezhda Tolokonnikova and Ekaterina Samutsevich were arrested as alleged participants. The court sentenced Nadezhda to 2 years in a general regime colony under the article “hooliganism.”
The verdict was appealed in cassation, but nothing changed for Nadezhda and Maria. Ekaterina’s real sentence was replaced with a suspended sentence and she was released in the courtroom. According to a study conducted by the monitoring agency NewsEffector, the conviction was an unprecedented event in terms of global resonance and response. Most of the world's media wrote about this case.
Foreign celebrities and Terry Gilliam spoke in support of civil activists. In places of deprivation of liberty, Nadezhda organized a fight against violations of the rights of prisoners. Tolokonnikova has repeatedly gone on hunger strike in protest.
The girl was serving her sentence in women's penal colony 14 in the village of Partsa, in the Zubovo-Polyansky district of Mordovia. At the end of 2013, she was transferred to Alatyr, and a little later - to the Krasnodar Territory. She was released under an amnesty, 2 months ahead of schedule, in honor of the 20th anniversary of the Russian Constitution - December 23, 2013.
Nadezhda's political activities received widespread approval from the West. In 2012, Le Figaro recognized her as “Woman of the Year,” and The Times newspaper put a photo of the activist on the cover. Moreover, Tolokonnikova took 18th place among the sexiest women according to Maxim polls.
After her release, Nadezhda continued her active work. Thus, the girl starred in the 3rd season of the foreign political series “House of Cards.”
The activist is still associated with the Pussy Riot group: Nadezhda appeared in the provocative videos “The Seagull” and “Make America Great Again.” The latest video was created against the election of the US President. In March 2013, Tolokonnikova and Alyokhina attended a lecture in Florida.
In the summer of 2015, the girl became the heroine of the shooting. Nadezhda was pleased with the photo shoot, calling Terry a “powerful” photographer.
During her student years, Nadezhda met an artist and activist. The political views and general aspirations of the young people largely coincided, so they quickly found a common language.
Together the couple hitchhiked through Spain and Portugal. Upon returning to their homeland, Nadezhda and Peter entered into an official alliance. In 2008, the couple had a daughter, Hera, at that time the girl was 18 years old.
Usually children visit their imprisoned parents, but the activist decided differently. In order not to traumatize the child’s psyche, Nadezhda did not see Hero during the investigation and serving her sentence. After her release, the activist improved her personal life, restoring her relationship with her daughter.
Recently it became known that the family has broken up, Nadezhda and Peter do not live together. As for the child, the girl alternates living with her father and then with her mother. The young people have maintained good relationships and continue to go on vacation together and attend cultural events. Whether the divorce is officially filed or not is unknown.
Now Nadezhda continues to actively express her own position in society. The girl considers her main task to be protecting the rights of prisoners through participation in the “Zone of Law” project.
Nadezhda has verified accounts on the social network
