Russia sentences veteran journo to 8 years in prison

Moscow: Russia sent veteran journalist Alexander Nevzorov to eight years in prison, accusing him of spreading false information about the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Agence France-Presse reported.

A Russian court ruled the same on 64-year-old Nevzarov’s allegations that Russian forces intentionally shelled a maternity hospital in Mariupol in the south of Ukraine.

Nevzarov had left Russia and had not attended the hearings. The ruling is the latest among high-profile verdicts under new legislation that criminalises being critical of the Kremlin.

Nevzorov, 64, came under pressure from authorities for alleging that Russian forces deliberately shelled a maternity hospital in Mariupol, a port city in southern Ukraine that was captured by Moscow after a long siege.

Moscow’s press service for courts said in a Telegram statement that the journalist was found guilty and was sentenced to eight years in prison, though prosecutors demanded nine years.

The case against Nevzorov, based on a probe initiated last March, was he intentionally aired fake information with inaccurate photographs of civilians being affected by shelling. A month later, he was declared a foreign agent. AFP reports that the branding has Soviet-era connotations, piling bureaucratic pressure on those branded so.

Journalist Nevzorov is a lawmaker, and his YouTube channel has around 2 million subscribers.