Alexei Gorinov, a deputy in Moscow’s Krasnoselsky district council, was arrested in April on charges of spreading false information about the Russian military
A court in Moscow sentenced an opposition city councilor to seven years in prison for criticizing Russia’s military actions in Ukraine, as “The Guardian” newspaper writes. It’s about her first prison sentence imposed under new laws restricting criticism of the war.
THE Alexei Gorinova deputy in Moscow’s Krasnoselsky District Council, was arrested in April on charges of “knowingly disseminating false information” about the Russian military.
According to authorities, Gorinov committed the offense when he and a fellow opposition MP, Elena Kotenotskinaopposed the council’s proposal to hold a children’s painting competition and dance festival despite the war in Ukraine, where Gorynov stated that “children are dying in Ukraine”.
The charges against Gorinov are among a series of new laws introduced since the start of the Russian invasion. Human rights groups worry that Gorinov’s case will be the first in a series of rulings against officials and citizens awaiting their own trials.
“This is clearly a politically motivated decision to scare the public into silence.” stated the Tanya Loksinadeputy director for Europe and Central Asia at Human Rights Watch. “The outrageous sentence is – apparently – aimed at discouraging Russians from speaking out against the war and expressing any form of dissent».
At least 50 people face jail terms or “steep” fines for “spreading false information” about the military, while around 2,000 people have received lesser fines for criticizing the war, according to a human rights group that tracks such cases nationally.
Throughout the hearings, Gorinov continued to strongly oppose the invasion of Russia in Ukraine. During his sentencing Friday, he held a sign that read: “Do you still need this war?“, while in the defendant’s glass cage.
Gorinov declared his innocence, while also repeating his criticism of the “wretched” war in Ukraine. “War is the last, the dirtiest, the most miserable thing, unworthy of the title of ‘man’Gorinov said. “I thought Russia had exhausted its limits in wars in the 20th century. However, our present is Butsa, Irpin and Hostomel. Do these names mean anything to you? You, the accusers, take an interest and don’t say later that you knew nothing.” he added, referring to the three towns outside Kyiv where Russian troops are accused of committing war crimes.
View the news feed and get the latest news.
