Russian ‘Hooligan’ Women Jailed for Twerking at WWII Memorial

Three Russian women will serve time in jail for “hooliganism,” after a music video showed them twerking in front of a World War II memorial.

A court in southern Russia’s Novorossiysk district has sentenced a 19-year-old woman to 15 days in jail, and two women in their 20s each to 10 days in jail, for engaging in the sexually provocative dance at the memorial, which is near the Black Sea, the Associated Press reports.

Prosecutors said in a statement over the weekend that five women were found guilty of charges, but two will not serve jail time because of health issues.

A sixth dancer was not convicted because she is a minor, but the girl’s mother was reprimanded for failing to “carry out measures to ensure the proper physical, intellectual, psychological, spiritual and moral development of the child,” according to International Business Times.

Prosecutors reportedly described the dance as “erotic and sexual” and stated, “This incident of disrespect for the memory of war history is unacceptable and any attempts to desecrate sites of military glory will be stopped immediately.”

Watch the music video below:

The memorial was built in 1982 to commemorate those who fought to liberate the city of Novorossiysk from German occupation in 1943.

Hooliganism is the same charge that put two members of hardcore, all-female punk band Pussy Riot behind bars in 2012. Five members of the group sang a protest song Feb. 21, 2012 at Cathedral of Christ the Savior in Moscow against both Vladimir Putin and the government’s ties to the church.

Three of the women were arrested, and two of them ended up serving two years in prison.