2 members of punk band Pussy Riot held in Sochi

Sochi - A Russian human rights activist says two members of the punk band Pussy Riot have been detained near the Olympics in downtown Sochi.

Semyon Simonov says he was with Maria Alekhina and Nadezhda Tolokonnikova at the time. He says the two women have been accused of theft, and says several other activists were also detained by police.

Alekhina and Tolokonnikova spent nearly two years in prison but were released in December. They were convicted of hooliganism after staging a protest in Moscow's most prominent cathedral in opposition to President Vladimir Putin's government.

Alekhina and Tolokonnikova recently visited the U.S. to take part in an Amnesty International concert.