A court in far eastern Russia has sentenced a journalist to four years in prison for cooperating with a foreign organization. The Zabaikalsky Regional Court in Chita found the journalist guilty of assisting in the preparation of false materials discrediting the Armed Forces of Russia and government agencies. The court stated that the journalist's actions were aimed at causing reputational damage to Russia and destabilizing the country.
The journalist, who previously worked with a U.S. government-funded media outlet, was also the editor-in-chief of a local news site in Chita. She has been described as a political prisoner by a human rights organization. Russia has been using foreign agent laws to crack down on freedom of speech, including against the media outlet the journalist was associated with.
In a separate incident, another journalist with U.S. citizenship was convicted of spreading false information about the Russian military. This journalist was later released as part of a prisoner swap deal with the U.S. More than 1,000 people have been charged in criminal cases related to speaking out against the war in Russia.
The journalist was arrested in Moscow and transferred to Chita for a trial behind closed doors. In a social media post, the journalist described feeling pressure but trying not to lose heart amidst the circumstances.
