Pussy Riot members attacked in Russian McDonald's; Amnesty calls for investigation

This morning, Pussy Riot's two most famous members, Nadya Tolokonnikova and Masha Alyokhina, were the targets of "an apparently unprovoked and premeditated attack" in Russia, according to Amnesty International. Both women were recently released from a Russian prison after serving time for protesting the Putin regime.

According to Amnesty, video evidence "appears to show a group of men barging in and violently interrupting the activists' breakfast in a McDonald's restaurant near the Nizhny Novgorod train station. The activists, who were joined by other members of the new prisoners' rights NGO 'Zone of the Rights', say they were in the city to inspect a local prison colony."

Both Pussy Riot members were injured during the attack. In other words, this wasn't just some harmless prank.

Sergei Nikitin, Director of Amnesty's Moscow office, issued the following statement in response to the incident:

"By all accounts, this violent attack appears to have been premeditated by an organized group. The unidentified assailants chanted slogans, held aloft a banner and filmed the entire incident.

"The Russian authorities must not tolerate such attacks on peaceful activists. They must launch a prompt, impartial and independent investigation into this and all such incidents, and bring those responsible to justice."

Indeed.

However, given the current political climate in Russia, I shall not hold my breath.