Russian punk protester moved to solo cell

[NewsCaster]

By ReutersMOSCOW -- Jailed Pussy Riot punk protester Maria Alyokhina has been moved to a single-person cell at her own request because of tensions with follow prisoners, Russia's federal penitentiary service said Friday.

Alyokhina, 24, is serving a two-year sentence for a raucous protest against President Vladimir Putin in Moscow's main Russian Orthodox cathedral. Activists said her trial, and that of two band mates, was part of a crackdown on dissent.

"Some tensions arose in relationships and, apparently to prevent this situation from escalating, she decided to submit a request to the prison leadership and they moved her to a one-person cell," a prison service spokeswoman told Reuters.

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