Pussy Riot to attend WHCA festivities
Two members of the Russian female rock group Pussy Riot will be in Washington for the White House Correspondents’ Association (WHCA) Dinner, ITK has learned.
Maria Alyokhina and Nadezhda Tolokonnikova are poised to attend a reception by Yahoo and ABC News held right before the dinner at the Washington Hilton Hotel, as well as another Correspondents’ shindig hosted by BuzzFeed and Facebook.
The two bandmates were arrested in Russia in 2012 and charged with hooliganism after videotaping an expletive-laden protest against the Russian Orthodox Church and Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Their arrests, along with a third member’s arrest just days later, made international headlines and prompted protests around the world. Alyokhina and Tolokonnikova were released late last year after serving more than a year in prison.
It’s not the first time the Pussy Riot members will be engaging with lawmakers and D.C. power players.
Last month, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton tweeted a photo of her posing with Alyokhina and Tolokonnikova. The snapshot was retweeted more than 11,000 times.
This story has been updated.
Copyright 2023 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.