fully clothed femen in trouble for ‘free hugs’

members of femen, a small army of 300 student activists, have taken their clothes off in public to support ukrainian women’s rights and other causes on numerous occasions.

the group in recent months has widened its activities to embrace other political causes. members of the group attracted international attention when they ridiculed russian prime minister vladimir putin during his visit to kyiv in october.

inna shevchenko was detained by police on jan. 15 for offering “free hugs” with her colleagues on the capital’s main thoroughfare of khreshchatyk in celebration of international hug day. police officers detained shevchenko after asking members of the group why so many young girls wearing short skirts were walking around.

femen members and supporters picketed kyiv’s shevchenko district court on jan. 17 before shevchenko’s hearing, displaying placards, reading “freedom for inna shevchenko” and “keep your hands off us, you bitches.”

“the aim of the picket was to draw attention to the idiocy of law enforcement agencies, especially the police who detained me on jan. 15,” shevchenko said. she added that overzealous police have harassed her and other femen members recently.

femen activists chalked up a rare legal victory on jan. 17 after a kyiv court threw out charges against inna shevchenko for holding an illegal demonstration.

the court threw out charges against shevchenko because she committed no offense, said yaroslav yatsenko, shevchenko’s lawyer, who has represented femen members in more than a dozen similar cases.

“femen activists have been formally charged on numerous occasions in the past with hooliganism, holding unsanctioned meetings and disobeying the police,” yatsenko told the kyiv post on jan. 19. “lower courts traditionally find them guilty and we appeal the decisions to a higher court. this case has been an exception.”

yatsenko said he has formally appealed in writing to the general prosecutor’s office to punish the police officers involved in shevchenko’s arrest and for violating her rights and those of other femen activists. he said he has not received a reply.