A Moscow court on Monday sentenced Russian-American journalist Masha Gessen in absentia to eight years in prison under Article 207.3 of the Russian Criminal Code over charges of spreading false information about Russian armed forces. The court also banned Gessen from managing online resources for four years.
Russia had issued an arrest warrant in December 2023 for Gessen, ordering his arrest in absentia following an investigation that began on August 31, 2023. The charges stem from allegations that Gessen “discredited the Russian Armed Forces” during events in Bucha, Ukraine in 2022.
Gessen, who holds dual US-Russian citizenship and lives in the United States, has been prominently featured in The New Yorker. While Gessen may not face imprisonment unless he travels to a jurisdiction with an extradition treaty with Russia, this verdict could complicate his travel. In a July letter to Russia’s Basmanny District Court, Gessen described the charges as an intimidation tactic.
The prosecution of Gessen is part of a broader crackdown on dissent in Russia since the start of the Russia-Ukraine conflict. Earlier this year, Russia designated author Boris Akunin as a foreign agent, while many well-known cultural figures labeled as foreign agents have fled the country.
This legal action against Gessen follows amendments to the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation and the Criminal Procedural Code that established criminal penalties for spreading false information about the Russian military, criminalizing independent war reporting and anti-war protests since the beginning of the conflict.
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