Russian journalist who protested live against the war sentenced in absentia to eight and a half years in prison

MADRID, 4 Oct. (EUROPA PRESS) -

A Russian court this Wednesday sentenced journalist Marina Ovsyannikova to eight and a half years in prison in absentia, who in March 2022 interrupted a live program to denounce the invasion of Ukraine, for "spreading false news" about the Armed Forces. Russian.

The court has indicated that the journalist, who fled the country, must serve her sentence "in a general correctional colony", while prohibiting her for four years from "participating in activities related to the administration of web pages of networks of information and telecommunications".

Thus, it has stated that the journalist published in July 2022 videos and photographs that contained "false information" about the actions of the Russian military in the context of the invasion of Ukraine, unleashed in February 2022 by order of the President of Russia, Vladimir. Putin, as reported by the Russian news agency TASS.

In October 2022, Russian authorities issued a search and arrest warrant against the journalist, who fled the country when she was under house arrest. Afterwards, she confirmed that she had escaped and maintained that she was "completely innocent."

Ovsyannikova had previously been fined on several occasions for her actions, allegedly contrary to the Russian Army. The journalist, who worked for Channel 1, interrupted broadcasts on March 14, 2022 with a banner protesting against the invasion, despite the Kremlin's prohibition on journalists from referring to what the Russian authorities called a "war." called "special operation."

For this reason, she was sentenced to a fine of 30,000 rubles (255 euros) for "organizing a public event without authorization." Likewise, after an investigation into this matter, she was fired from the network, although it was later confirmed that she had started working for the German newspaper 'Die Welt'.