MOSCOW, Aug. 23 (UPI) -- Lawyers for the two jailed members of Russian punk band Pussy Riot have requested the women serve the remainder of their sentences doing community service.
Nadezhda Tolokonnikova and Maria Alyokhina were sentenced to two years in prison last summer for hooliganism for participating in a "punk prayer" protest against Russian President Vladimir Putin at a cathedral in Moscow, RIA Novosti reported.
Now, their lawyers say because they were convicted of a "non-violent crime," they are eligible for community service. The lawyers cited articles of the Russian Criminal Code that allow convicted criminals to complete community service jobs of their choosing, as long as they give part of their salaries to the state.
Tolokonnikova and Alyokhina have been offered service jobs by a newspaper, an art gallery and a charity.
