The exiled Russian journalist who protested live on state television against the war in Ukraine was sentenced last Wednesday (4) to eight and a half years in prison in absentia on charges of publishing “falsehoods” about the Army, the Moscow court announced.
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Namely, Marina Ovsiannikova, 45, displayed a poster during an afternoon news program in March 2022, but was condemned for another protest that took place in front of the Kremlin in July of the same year.
“The court sentenced Ovsiannikova to eight years and six months in prison which must be served in a penal colony,” the Moscow MP said. Tried in absentia, Ovsiannikova left Russia in October 2022, after escaping from house arrest with her 11-year-old daughter.
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As a result, in a statement published before the sentence was announced, she stated that the accusations were “absurd and politically motivated.” “They decided to attack me, because I’m not afraid and I call things by their names,” he said.
“Obviously I don’t admit my guilt. I don’t deny any of my words. I made a very difficult decision, but the only morally correct one in my life, and I’ve already paid a high enough price for it,” she added.
Thus, since Russia began its operation against Ukraine last year, authorities have begun an unprecedented campaign of repression against dissidents, with arrests or fines against people opposed to the conflict.