Journalist Nadezhda Kevorkova was released after 10 months in custody
A Moscow court rejected the prosecutor's request for a six-year prison sentence and instead ruled a 600,000 rubles fine for her social media post.
The 2nd Western District Military Court in Moscow found journalist Nadezhda Kevorkova guilty. 66-year-old Kevorkova was accused of "justifying terrorism" over two social media posts.
The prosecutor requested a six-year prison sentence, but the judge ruled against prison, and decided to give her a fine of 600,000 rubles (€6 320).
"In today's reality, a fine for such a charge can be considered an acquittal. We will not appeal the verdict and will not bring further trouble upon ourselves," said Kevorkova's lawyer, Kaloy Akhilgov, after her release.
Kevorkova was tried for "justifying terrorism," which authorities claimed was present in two posts on her personal social media channel.
The first post was a text written by her friend, Orkhan Dzhemal, who was killed in Africa, where he was allegedly planning to make a film about the activities of Russian private military companies (PMCs).
Kevorkova was also accused over a post about the Taliban, in which she described how they welcomed their prisoners, gave them flowers, and released Afghan detainees from prisons.
Since May 2024, the 66-year-old Kevorkova had been held in a pre-trial detention center. She has been listed as a "terrorist and extremist."
The journalist previously worked with Novaya Gazeta, Nezavisimaya Gazeta, and other media. She reported from Afghanistan, Pakistan, Lebanon, Iran, Turkey, Sudan, Syria, Gaza, and the North Caucasus.
Repression Against Journalists in Russia
Following Russia's invasion of Ukraine, many independent journalists were forced to leave the country. Those who stayed have faced severe pressure and the risk of criminal prosecution. Among those who have been repressed are Maria Ponomarenko, Antonina Favorskaia, Konstantin Gabov, Artyom Kriger, and Sergey Karelin, among others.
Ponomarenko was sentenced to six years in prison for a post about the bombing of the Mariupol theater. Favorskaia and Kriger, who worked for Sota.Vision, were arrested for allegedly "participating in an extremist organization" due to their coverage of opposition trials, including that of Alexei Navalny. Gabov and Karelin, who collaborated with foreign media, were also detained on similar charges. These journalists have become victims of a large-scale crackdown on the press, which includes bans, criminal cases, and arrests for publications and cooperation with independent media.
Many independent media outlets in Russia have been designated as "undesirable organizations," making any collaboration with them a criminal offense. This designation has been applied to Meduza, Dozhd, Current Time, and other publications, including us, the Barents Observer.
