The Russian Prosecutor’s Office on Tuesday called for a 24-year prison sentence for journalist Ivan Safronov, the Russian newspaper Novaya Gazeta reports. Prosecutor Boris Loktionov accused Ivan Safronov of “treason in the form of espionage” and asks that the sentence be served in a prison of maximum security.
“There is no evidence of criminal activity in Ivan’s case. He did not break any laws or divulge state secrets. Safronov’s betrayal, according to investigator Chaban, prosecutor Loktionov and his colleagues, consists in recounting several articles to a foreign journalist,” responded Pervy Otdel, a group that says it supports human rights.
Safronov’s fiancée, Ksenia Mironova, who is also a journalist and left Russia when the country was limiting critical journalism about the war, reacted wryly on Twitter: “When a prosecutor asks your fiancé how old you are (I I am 24 years old) in exchange for Putin’s four terms,” he said.
Когда твоему жениху прокурор запросил твой возраст
(Мне 24) или 4 срока Путина— Ksenia Mironova (@ksmrnova) August 30, 2022
The prosecutor’s office claimed earlier this year that Safronov passed information between 2015 and 2019 to foreign secret services, realizing that NATO countries could use it against Russian security. He also accused him of having sold the information and of using cryptography.
The journalist denies all the accusations, calling them “farce”. The verdict in the case will be known shortly.
Source: Observadora
