Maria Ponomarenko reports critically on the Russian atrocities in Ukraine. A court has now sentenced the journalist to six years in prison. According to her lawyer, her mental condition is deteriorating.
A Russian journalist has been sentenced to six years in prison for making comments critical of Moscow's offensive in Ukraine. Maria Ponomarenko, who works for the news portal "RusNews", was found guilty by a court in the southern Siberian city of Barnaul for spreading false information about the Russian army, the investigative committee responsible for serious crimes said.
In March 2022, Ponomarenko posted a comment on the air raid on a theater in the Ukrainian port city of Mariupol on online networks. Ukraine and its western allies blame Moscow for the deaths of hundreds of civilians in the attack. Russia denies the allegations.
After the start of the military operation in Ukraine, the Russian authorities tightened the laws in order to be able to take stronger action against critics. Several people have already been sentenced to several years in prison for allegations of spreading "false information" or "discrediting" the Russian army.
After her arrest in St. Petersburg in April 2022, Ponomarenko was transferred to a prison in Barnaul. According to the civil rights organization OWD-Info, her lawyer expressed concern about the deteriorating mental state of his client and called for the 44-year-old to be treated.
