On Friday, a Moscow court sentenced city representative Alexei Gorinov to seven years in prison, who, according to him, spread false news about the Russian army. Gorinov was detained in April several weeks after a council meeting in which he criticized Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
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According to a new law in Russia, spreading news about the activities of the Russian army in Ukraine, which are not in accordance with the dictates of Moscow, is punishable by up to 15 years in prison. The Russians are also prohibited from using the word war in connection with the invasion.
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Gorinov is the first representative of the opposition, moreover, in an elected position, who received a prison sentence under the new law for his anti-war stance, AFP and TASS write. However, other activists are in custody awaiting trial.
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The 60-year-old Gorinov “deliberately committed the crime and knew that it was a public threat that could cause fear and anxiety among citizens,” Novaya Gazeta Evropa quoted the decision of the Moscow court as saying. Because of this, according to the judge, Gorinov will spend seven years in a penal colony.
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The police arrested Gorinov on April 26, and a day later the court sent him to custody. According to the investigation, the representative, together with another representative Jelena Kotěnočkinová, made several statements at an official meeting on March 15, which included “false information about the armed forces of the Russian Federation.”
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Among other things, Gorinov called the “special operation” a war and talked about the death of Ukrainian children. At the meeting according to the diary The Guardian among other things, he said: “I believe that all efforts of (Russian) civil society should be focused only on stopping the war and withdrawing Russian troops from the territory of Ukraine.”
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Record the meeting, where both representatives speak out against the war, appeared on the official accounts of the administrative office and on several social networks. According to the agency Reuters On the recording, Gorinov also comments on holding a competition on Children’s Day, arguing that such an event is unthinkable during the war. “How can we talk about a children’s drawing competition when children are dying there every day,” he said.
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Another offense by Gorinov, according to the prosecutor, was the proposal that the meeting of the administrative office should begin with a moment of silence for the victims of the war in Ukraine. Punishment probably also awaits Kotěnochkinová, who, however, left Russia. Russian authorities have placed her on the list of internationally wanted persons, according to Novaya Gazeta Evropa.
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In his closing statement on Thursday, Gorinov said he was innocent and pointed to his right to free speech under the Russian constitution. He also repeated his criticism of the “disgusting” war in Ukraine. “War, whatever you call it, is the last, the dirtiest, the foulest thing, unworthy of the title of man,” he said.
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Gorinov continued his opposition to the Russian invasion even in the courtroom. During Friday’s sentencing, he held a poster reading “Do you still need this war?”. According to AFP, just before the sentence was announced, he was applauded by members of the public present in the courtroom, who were sent out by the court for this.
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Many human rights organizations fear that Gorinov’s case will be the first in a series of sentences against war critics awaiting trial in Russia.
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“This is clearly a politically motivated sentence designed to intimidate and silence the public,” said Tanya Lokšinov, Human Rights Watch’s deputy director for Europe and Central Asia.
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At least 50 people are likely to face prison terms or heavy fines in the future for “knowingly spreading false information” about the military, while about 2,000 people have already received minor fines for criticizing the Russian invasion, according to a human rights group that monitors cases in Russia.
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