Pussy Riot member Maria Alyokhina went on a hunger strike earlier this week in protest that she would not be allowed at her own parole hearing. But Russian courts are not moved by her actions.
The punk band member was denied parole on grounds that she often disobeys prison authorities and has failed to repent for her alleged crimes, The BBC reports. Alyokhina and her fellow band-mates were sentenced to prison last August on charges of hooliganism and breaching public order for an incident in 2012, the BBC says.
The band performed a "punk prayer," at Moscow's main cathedral in 2012, in protest of Vladimir Putin's re-election campaign.
Pussy Riot member Nadezhda Tolokonnikova was also denied parole last month.Third member Yekaterina Samutsevich was released in October after her sentence was appealed. Alyokhina announced her hunger strike Wednesday and also asked her lawyer to boycott the hearing.
Prominent members of the music community have spoken out on the controversial punk band's behalf. Paul McCartney and Peter Gabriel have asked for their release. McCartney sent Alyokhina a handwritten letter in her support ahead of the parole hearing, the BBC says. Madonna announced her support for the group during a 2012 concert in Moscow, according to Rolling Stone. But the jailing has caused a worldwide response, on behalf of the rock group.
