MOSCOW, January 14 - RAPSI. Pussy Riot member Yekaterina Samutsevich has revoked her complaint against her former attorneys from the Moscow Bar Association, said attorney Violetta Volkova, one of the lawyers in question.
Volkova told RAPSI that the hearing of the bar associations disciplinary commission, which had been set for January 15, was postponed. She was informed of this by Yuri Borovkov, the bar association's vice-president.
The attorney said that she was not sure of the reasons behind the complaints withdrawal. "Evidently, [Samutsevich] decided not to aggravate the situation," Volkova added.
Samutsevich said in her complaint that the attorneys have still not returned her passport and her keys to her apartment, ignoring all her claims. In addition, she said that Volkova and Polozov had refused to give her new attorneys the complaint against her arrest which was submitted to the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) in June.
Samutsevich also requested the chamber to assess Volkova's professional behavior, which the Pussy Riot member has called "unethical and humiliating." In particular, she was shocked by all complaints Volkova made when she met with Samutsevich's father.
Samutsevich therefore requested the chamber to take measures against the attorneys and help her get her documents and keys back.
In late February, five young women wearing brightly colored balaclavas performed a "punk-style" prayer at the altar of Moscow's Christ the Savior Cathedral. An edited video of their performance that was posted on the Internet caused a public outcry. Pussy Riot members Nadezhda Tolokonnikova, Maria Alyokhina and Yekaterina Samutsevich were arrested shortly thereafter.
The Khamovnichesky District Court sentenced the three Pussy Riot members to two years in prison for disorderly conduct on August 17.
Later, the Moscow City Court commuted Samutsevich's sentence from two years in prison to immediate release on probation due to the fact that she was detained by security prior to reaching the stage and did not actually participate in the protest.
The judge left Tolokonnikova and Alyokhina's sentences intact.
The defense team for the convicted Pussy Riot members terminated their agreement with the group in November.
"This was a mutual decision, which we discussed previously. Our presence in the case only threatens their release. This was made clear to us today," another Pussy Riot attorney Mark Feygin said.