1 year ago
57
Image source, RusNews
Maria Ponomarenko addressed the tribunal earlier she was sentenced
Russian writer Maria Ponomarenko has been jailed for six years for posting connected societal media astir a deadly onslaught by Russian warplanes connected a theatre successful Ukraine.
The tribunal successful Barnaul successful Siberia recovered her blameworthy of spreading "fake news", nether laws introduced aimed astatine stifling dissent astir the penetration of Ukraine.
She was besides barred from activities arsenic a writer for 5 years.
Hundreds of civilians died erstwhile the Mariupol theatre was bombed past March.
Ponomarenko was detained past April, weeks aft the bombing, for posting that Russian warplanes had carried retired the onslaught adjacent though the Russian defence ministry had denied it.
She is 1 of a increasing fig of Russian dissidents jailed for criticising the warfare successful Ukraine.
Some 1,200 civilians were seeking structure wrong the theatre erstwhile it was bombed by Russian combatant jets. Ukrainian authorities judge 300 radical were killed but an Associated Press probe said the fig was person to 600. Many of the bodies were recovered successful the basement.
Amnesty International said it was a warfare transgression carried retired by Russian forces and the planetary monitoring radical OSCE said it had not received immoderate denotation to backmost up Russian allegations that a Ukrainian battalion had blown it up.
Prosecutors said Maria Ponomarenko had committed a transgression offence brought successful wrong days of the penetration of spreading "knowingly mendacious information" astir the Russian equipped forces.
Image source, Reuters
Image caption,Residents had written the Russian connection for "children" extracurricular the theatre successful an effort to halt Russian airstrikes
Addressing the tribunal up of her condemnation she stressed that nether Russia's constitution she had done thing wrong: "Had I committed a existent transgression past it would beryllium imaginable to inquire for leniency, but again, owed to my motivation and ethical qualities, I would not bash this."
Declaring herself a patriotic absorption pacifist, she added that patriotism meant emotion for her state and that subject censorship should not use erstwhile the alleged "special subject operation" successful Ukraine was not described arsenic a war.
The writer and activist, who has 2 young children, has suffered intelligence wellness problems successful jail, according to her lawyer, and past twelvemonth compared her conditions successful pre-trial detention to torture.
Last summer, Moscow councillor Alexei Gorinov was jailed aft helium was filmed speaking retired against Russia's warfare successful Ukraine successful a metropolis assembly meeting. Earlier this week a UN moving radical called for his release, concluding that his detention was arbitrary and contravened the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
In December 1 of Russia's astir salient absorption figures, Ilya Yashin, was jailed for eight-and-a-half years for spreading "fake news" astir the subject aft helium went connected YouTube to condemn the sidesplitting of hundreds of Ukrainian civilians by Russian occupying forces successful Bucha, adjacent Kyiv.
English (US)