Finished it ahead of schedule

A decision has been made to complete the preliminary investigation into the Pussy Riot case, RIA Novosti reported.

“On June 4, Pussy Riot member Maria Alyokhina was charged, the last of three girls arrested as part of a criminal case of hooliganism. Previously, similar charges were brought against the remaining participants,” the statement says.

The police clarified that the investigation has completed the preliminary investigation of this case, and in the near future the accused and their lawyers will begin to get acquainted with the materials.

Earlier, lawyer Nikolai Polozov told the RAPSI agency on Monday that the girls and their defenders had received a resolution to complete the preliminary investigation in the case.

“My client Nadezhda Tolokonnikova was presented with an amended charge a week ago; Maria Alekhina was charged only today because of the return of her lawyer; Ekaterina Samutsevich will be charged the other day when her lawyer returns. Thus, the girls have been notified of the end of the preliminary investigation,” the second RAPSI reported The girls' lawyer Mark Feigin.

According to him, the three defendants in the case are charged with hooliganism committed by an organized group of people in a preliminary conspiracy motivated by religious hatred. “That is, part 2 of Article 213 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation, and this is very serious - up to seven years in prison,” Feigin added.

Then the victims can begin to get acquainted with the case, then the accused and their defense will have the right to access the materials collected by the investigation.

As Polozov told RAPSI, several security guards, a general worker and activist of the People's Council organization Istomin were recognized as victims in the case. “These persons were recognized as victims for the reason that at the time of what was happening they were in the temple and experienced moral suffering,” the lawyer explained.

The lawyer also said that he had received the results of two more examinations in the case.

"The results of the second examination confirm the first, which showed that the girls had no motives for inciting hatred or religious hostility. The maximum that was there was insulting the feelings of believers. The third examination showed the opposite result to the previous two - they found both incitement of hatred and much more different," the lawyer said.

RAPSI does not yet have a comment from the investigation.

According to the court decision, Nadezhda Tolokonnikova, Maria Alyokhina and Ekaterina Samutsevich will remain under arrest until June 24. Today, June 5, the defenders intend to meet with journalists and show them a one and a half minute video recording of “what actually happened in the temple.”

NEW: A new investigator will be looking into the Pussy Riot criminal case, the defendants' lawyer, Mark Feigin, said at a press conference on Tuesday.

“The head of the investigation team will leave in two or three weeks, and investigator Kharkov will deal with the case,” Feigin said.

According to the lawyer, the girls’ detention period expires on June 24 , and the new investigator will most likely file a petition to extend the preventive measure.

“It is unlikely that the court will want to release them for the period of familiarization with the materials and the trial. More likely, there will be an extension. This is such a pessimistic forecast,” said the girls’ second lawyer Nikolai Polozov.