Russian journalist Maria Ponomarenko has been sentenced to six years in prison for a post on a social network in which she covered the attack on a theater in Mariupol, the BBC writes.
The court ruled that Popomarenko is guilty of spreading «fake news». In addition to the six-year prison sentence, Ponomarenko has also been banned from practicing journalism for five years.
Ponomarenko was detained in April 2022, a few weeks after the Russians bombed the Mariupol Drama Theater. She wrote that the attack was carried out by Russian warplanes, which the Russian Ministry of Defense denied.
About 1,200 civilians tried to find refuge in the Mariupol theater when it was bombed by Russian fighter jets. Ukrainian authorities said 300 people were killed, but an Associated Press investigation suggested the number could be higher, up to 600.
Addressing the court before the verdict, Ponomarenko emphasized that, according to the Russian constitution, she had not committed a crime, and therefore, guided by her morals and ethics, she would not ask for a pardon. She described herself as a patriotic pacifist and added:
«No totalitarian regime has ever been as strong as before its collapse.»
In the summer of 2022, Moscow councilor Alexei Gorinov was sentenced to seven years in prison after criticizing the war in Ukraine at a city council meeting. This week, the UN working group demanded the release of the politician, stating that his imprisonment is contrary to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
In December, Ilya Yashin, a representative of the Russian opposition, was sentenced to eight and a half years in prison. He condemned the killings by Russian forces in Bucha.
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