Russian musician Maria Alyokhina, of jailed group Pussy Riot, has revealed that she never felt like a prisoner because she always thought of herself as being a 'free' woman. 

Speaking to the Rolling Stone about her recent release from prison, Alyokhina explained that it was important for her to keep thinking like a free person in order to make it through the ordeal:

"You know, I was always free, because I felt free. It's very important to be free inside. The most important thing is to feel free. You have the right to choose. Becoming conscious of that fact delivers a person. My life's been very active so I haven't felt like a prisoner. I've been doing human rights [work], explaining to the women how they can solve their complaints themselves. And what's happened is that these women have decided to start taking up their problems with the administration themselves."

When asked about the nature of her release from jail, she added that it's because Russia wants to seem more appealing with the impending Winter Olympics on the horizon following the country's recent anti-gay laws controversy:

"[I'm out] simply because of [the] Sochi [Olympics]. They wanted to make themselves more attractive before the Olympic Games. That's why they decided to do the amnesty. But the amnesty is not general - it's a lie. I'm the only one who's been released [from camp] and that's the problem. They won't let anyone else out. Formally, it's a general amnesty, but it's a lie."