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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
World
Pjotr Sauer

Russian teacher ‘shocked’ as she faces jail over anti-war speech pupils taped

Irina Gen voiced her disapproval of the way Russian state media framed the bombing of a maternity hospital in the besieged city of Mariupol.
Irina Gen voiced her disapproval of the way Russian state media framed the bombing of a maternity hospital in the besieged city of Mariupol Photograph: Handout

When Irina Gen, a 55-year-old English and German language teacher in the Russian city of Penza, embarked on an anti-war speech in her classroom, little did she know she was being recorded by her own students.

“I just wanted to broaden my students’ worldview. I hoped to break through the propaganda that is being fed to this country. But look where it got me,” said Gen, who faces a long-term prison sentence for “discrediting” the Russian army after her message went viral.

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