Marina Ovsyannikova became famous for her live protest on Russian television against the war in Ukraine. The journalist has now been sentenced to eight years in prison in Moscow.
More than a year and a half after her sensational protest on live TV against the military operation in Ukraine, Russian television journalist Marina Ovsyannikova was sentenced in absentia to eight and a half years in prison in another matter. Ovzyannikova was convicted of “spreading false information” about the army, a Moscow court said on Wednesday.
The verdict refers to a protest in July 2022 in which Ovsyannikova demonstrated alone near the Kremlin, holding up a sign criticizing the military intervention in Ukraine and Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Ovsyannikova calls allegations “absurd and politically motivated”
In March 2022, Ovsyannikova appeared behind the news anchor during the Pervy Kanal news program “Vremya,” attracting global attention. The journalist, who herself worked as an editor for the station, held a sign that read “Stop the war. Don’t believe the propaganda. You’re being lied to here” into the camera. She also shouted “Stop the war!” before the live broadcast ended.
In October 2022, Ovsyannikova fled from house arrest with her daughter from Russia; the son stayed with his father. Her lawyer announced that she had finally left her homeland for Europe. It is unclear where exactly the now 45-year-old is. According to her Instagram account, she is in France.
In a statement released on Tuesday before the verdict was announced, Ovsyannikova described the allegations against her as “absurd and politically motivated.” The justice system “decided to finish me off because I’m not afraid and I call a spade a spade,” she said.
“Of course I don’t admit my guilt. And I don’t deny any of my words either. I made a very hard but the only right moral decision in my life and I have already paid a high price for it,” she continued.
The repression in Russia against voices critical of the government continues at full speed. Numerous opposition representatives and ordinary citizens were sentenced to long prison terms. Tens of thousands of Russians, including opposition figures, journalists and civil rights activists, have fled into exile.
Source: Stern
I have been working in the news industry for over 6 years, first as a reporter and now as an editor. I have covered politics extensively, and my work has appeared in major newspapers and online news outlets around the world. In addition to my writing, I also contribute regularly to 24 Hours World.
