Moscow politician gets 7 years for denouncing war

Moscow politician gets 7 years for denouncing war
# 09 July 2022 09:33 (UTC +04:00)

A Moscow councilor has been jailed for seven years for speaking out against Russia's war in Ukraine - in what is said to be the first full jail term under new laws targeting dissent, APA reports citing BBC.

Alexei Gorinov, 60, was arrested in April after he was filmed criticizing the invasion in a city council meeting.

Under the post-invasion law, anyone who spreads "fake news" about the military faces up to 15 years in jail.

Russians are banned from using the word war to describe the invasion.

President Vladimir Putin has instead coined the phrase "special military operation", although he spoke of the "war in the Donbas" in remarks to parliamentary leaders on Thursday.

Human rights activist Pavel Chikov said Gorinov's sentence was the first jail term under the new law. Until now judges have only handed down a fine or a suspended sentence.

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