Russian officials announced on Monday that they won't press charges against a shock performance artist who stripped down naked and nailed his testicles to Moscow's Red Square.
According to Russian news agency RIA Novosti, Judge Yelena Stashina ruled that there was not enough evidence and documentation provided by the police to prove that artist Pyotr Pavlensky had gone against the law when he took off all his clothing and pounded a nail through his scrotum onto the cobblestone street on Sunday.
When he was first found in front of St. Basil's Cathedral and taken into police custody over the weekend, authorities urged the Tver Court in Moscow to pursue charges of petty hooliganism - a breach of public policy in Russia. According to the nation's laws, a citizen cannot show blatant disrespect for the general order, and is not allowed to humiliate or harass people, nor cause damage to civil buildings or property.
But Pavlensky's assistant told news group Rosbalt that Judge Stashina ruled police should either charge the artist a fine of 1,000 rubles (roughly $33), and let him out of jail or schedule another court appearance with fresh charges against him if they decide to pursue the case further.
Officers held Pavlensky on Sunday, after the stunt he said he performed to demonstrate against political apathy amongst Russian citizens.
This isn't the first time Pavlensky has carried out a wild act to make a statement. Last year, the artist sewed his lips closed to show his support for the jailed members of punk band Pussy Riot.
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