International
Russia: a former journalist, specialist in military issues, sentenced to 22 years in prison
His former colleagues believe his conviction is revenge for his articles about embarrassing incidents in the Russian military.
The ex-journalist will have to serve his sentence in a “penal colony with a strict regime”. (Illustration) AFP/Dimitar Dilkoff
The ex-journalist will have to serve his sentence in a “penal colony with a strict regime”. (Illustration) AFP/Dimitar Dilkoff
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By Le Parisien with AFP
September 5, 2022 at 4:33 p.m.
He will be incarcerated in a penal colony with difficult conditions. A former Russian military journalist, Ivan Safronov, was sentenced to 22 years in prison for high treason on Monday.
Incarcerated since 2020, the 32-year-old ex-journalist will have to serve his sentence in a “severe regime penal colony”, according to the decision of the Moscow City Court, which intervenes in the midst of the conflict in Ukraine .
Recognized expert in defense issues, Ivan Safronov, handcuffed, greeted this verdict with a smile in his glass cage for the defendants. His supporters in the courtroom chanted “Vania (short for Ivan), we love you”, while other people burst into tears. The lawyers for the ex-journalist immediately announced their intention to appeal against this sentence.
Accused of passing on sensitive information
Ivan Safronov is accused of having transmitted to a Russian-German political expert, also detained in Russia for “high treason”, information on Russian military operations in Syria, and to the Czech intelligence services elements on arms deliveries from Moscow to Africa.
Ivan Safronov firmly rejects these accusations. He had previously worked for two Russian national dailies, Vedomosti and Kommersant. Forced to resign from Kommersant in 2019, in May 2020 he became an adviser to the former director of the Russian space agency Roscosmos, Dmitry Rogozin.
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His affair was denounced by his former colleagues as revenge for his articles discussing embarrassing incidents in the Russian military.
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