United States journalist, writer and activist Masha Gessen was convicted by a Moscow court in absentia over spreading false information about the military. Gessen was sentenced to eight years in prison.
The Moscow-born Gessen is an award-winning writer and a hardcore critic of Russian President Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump. Gessen, who lives in the US, is a staff writer for The New Yorker and a columnist for The New York Times who lives in the US.
Gessen has been on a wanted list in Russia since December last year. According to the Russian media, the case pertains to an interview with a popular Russian online blogger regarding the atrocities by the military in the Ukrainian town of Bucha.
The interview of Gessen with blogger Yury, uploaded on September 2022, had crossed 6.5 million views on YouTube. The Ukrainian town that was reclaimed by the troops from retreating Russian forces had found over 400 bodies including women and children on the streets, in homes and in mass graves.
Gessen had alleged that the people were tortured and killed after invading the town. The Russian officials denied their troops were responsible. A number of Russian public figures were prosecuted for speaking out about Bucha.
The prosecutions were carried out under the Russian law adopted after the Ukraine invasion which effectively criminalised any public expression about the war deviating from the Kremlin narrative. Russia always stressed that it only strikes military targets, not civilians. Many voices of dissent have been shut since the Ukraine invasion.
Gessen lived in Russia until 2013 when the country passed legislation against the LGBTQ community. Gessen will be imprisoned only if they travel to a country with an extradition treaty with Moscow.
Gessen is unlikely to face imprisonment in Russia on the conviction unless they travel to a country with an extradition treaty with Moscow.
Also, Russian citizen Richard Rose was found guilty on Monday of spreading false news about the Russian military in Bucha. He also faces eight years in prison.
According to OVD-Info, he said on a video that the massacre in Bucha will never be forgotten. ... Russian fascists will never be forgiven for this.
(With PTI inputs)