A Russian prosecutor on Thursday demanded seven years in prison against a Moscow city councilor. He is accused of spreading “false information” about the participation of the Russian army in the offensive in Ukraine.
The prosecutor accused the politician, Alexei Gorinov, of “misleading a large number of people”, and asked that he be “sent to a penal colony for seven years”, said a correspondent of the French news agency AFP who attended the hearing. used to be. He is the first opposition politician to be jailed for criticizing the invasion of Ukraine.
In his defense, Gorinov maintained that he was “against all wars”, referring in particular to the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. “My father returned from World War II with a disability. And his brother is missing a leg,” he defended. He was arrested in Moscow on April 26 and his trial began on June 1. He is also accused of acting “as a group” and “abusing his official position along with another municipal deputy, Elena Kotenochkina, who has fled Russia.
“Children are orphaned”
Gorinov, who is a lawyer by training, denounced Moscow’s “aggression” against Ukraine on March 15 via YouTube. “Children are orphaned and the grandchildren and great-grandchildren of World War II dead are thrown into the hell of combat,” he said, referring to the deaths of Ukrainian children.
Since the invasion began on February 24, dozens of people have been prosecuted in Russia for publicly criticizing the offensive against Ukraine. Most have been fined, but others face heavy prison terms.
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