A Russian court on Monday (Sep 5) sentenced a former journalist to 22 years in prison for treason after prosecutors said he disclosed state secrets, a ruling his supporters said was a harsh punishment that showed the absence of media freedom in Russia. Ivan Safronov, a former defence reporter for the Komme
A Russian court on Monday sentenced a former journalist to 22 years in prison for treason after prosecutors said he disclosed state secrets, a ruling his supporters said was a harsh punishment that showed the absence of media freedom in Russia.
Speaking outside the courtoom, Safronov's lawyer Dmitry Katchev said he was almost lost for words at the ruling. He said he could not find any examples of any treason cases leading to such a lengthy sentence, let alone against a journalist. Safronov, 32, denied the charges and said the information he is alleged to have passed to the Czech Republic was all open source public information.
His defence team believe the trial is retribution for Safronov revealing Russia's plans to sell fighter jets to Egypt. The estimated US$2-billion deal was scrapped soon after when the US threatened sanctions on Cairo if it went ahead.
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