World Cup Final Protesters Sentenced to Jail, Banned From Sporting Events

The four protesters who interrupted the World Cup final are facing a brief jail sentence for their statement.

The big finale of the 2018 World Cup in Moscow, Russia was interrupted on Sunday when four people dressed as police officers stormed the field. According to a report by the Associate Press, they will pay for their stunt with 15 days in jail. They were also banned from attending sports events for the next three years.

The sentence was reportedly handed down on Monday, a short 24 hours after their jog across the world stage. They were found guilty of breaking laws on spectator behavior at sporting events.

The feminist punk band and activist collective Pussy Riot took responsibility for the protesters’ actions. According to a post on their Facebook page, they were calling for the release of political prisoners and an overhaul of the political system in Russia. Pussy Riot has a long history of standing against Russian President Vladimir Putin, who they openly address as a dictator.

In 2012, shortly after they burst onto the scene, Pussy Riot played an unauthorized concert in the Cathedral of Christ the Savior in Moscow. That display got three of their members arrested and put two in prison for two years. They were charged with “hooliganism.” Unfazed, the group has continued to stage theatrical protests and “guerrilla performances” for the last several years.

The World Cup interruption on Sunday lasted about 60 seconds. As it was going on, the group posted an open letter as well as a list of six demands online. The stilted English translation made waves on social media.

“Free all political prisoners, don’t imprison for ‘likes,’ stop illegal arrests at rallies, allow political competition in the country, don’t fabricate criminal cases and don’t keep people in jail without cause, turn the earthly militiamen into heavenly militiamen,” read their demands.

The Russian government featured even more prominently in the news on Monday as President Donald Trump met with Putin, seemingly accepting his assurance that Russia did not target the 2016 U.S. election in spite of his own intelligence briefings. Nadya Tolokonnikova, a member of Pussy Riot, told CNN’s Anderson Cooper that the American media overestimates Putin’s administration.

“American media gives too much credit to President Putin and his fellows because you perceive them as an organized unit,” she said. “Well they are not effective. In fact they are a bunch of people who care mostly about their money … they are just not effective.”