Russian journalist who protested live against the war was sentenced in absentia to eight and a half years in prison
A Russian court sentenced the journalist in absentia on Wednesday to eight and a half years in prison. Marina Ovsyannikovathe one in March 2022 interrupted a live broadcast to denounce the invasion of Ukrainefor “spreading fake news” about the Russian armed forces.
The court pointed out that the journalist who fled the country must serve his sentence “in a general correctional colony.”At the same time, he was banned from participating in activities related to the management of information and telecommunications network websites for four years.
That’s how he explained it In July 2022, the journalist published videos and photos that contained “false information.” about the actions of the Russian military in connection with the invasion of Ukraine, which was unleashed in February 2022 on the orders of Russian President Vladimir Putin, as reported by the Russian news agency TASS.
In October 2022, Russian authorities issued a search and arrest warrant for the journalist, who fled the country while under house arrest. Thereafter, confirmed that he had escaped and maintained that he was “completely innocent.”“.
Ovsyannikova had previously been fined several times for her behavior allegedly at odds with the Russian army. The journalist, who worked for Channel 1, interrupted broadcasts on March 14, 2022 with a banner protesting the invasion The Kremlin bans journalists from calling what Russian authorities call a “special operation” a “war.”