Four protesters who interrupted the final between France and Croatia sentenced to 15 days

This article is more than 2 years old

This article is more than 2 years old

The four protesters who barged onto the field at the World Cup final in Moscow have been sentenced to 15 days in jail.

The protesters, members of the Pussy Riot punk collective, ran onto the pitch at Luzhniki Stadium dressed as police officers during the second half of Sunday’s match between France and Croatia.

They called for the release of political prisoners, the end for illegal detentions at political rallies, stopping the policing of people’s political views on social media and for more open political competition.

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A court on Monday sentenced them after finding them guilty of violating the law on behaviour of sports events spectators. They were also banned from attending sports events for three years.

Pussy Riot gained notoriety for a protest inside Moscow’s biggest cathedral in 2012, for which three participants were arrested and jailed. Since then, the three women who were put on trial have separated, with two of them – Nadezhda Tolokonnikova and Maria Alyokhina – still appearing separately using the Pussy Riot name.