Russian journalist Aleksandar Nevzorov was sentenced to eight years in prison by a Moscow court for spreading "false news" about the Russian army, state media reported on February XNUMX, Reuters reports.
Nevzorov, one of Russia's best-known television journalists and critic of the Kremlin, was tried in absentia.
The proceedings against Nevzorov were initiated last year due to posts on social networks in which he accused the Russian armed forces of deliberately shelling a maternity hospital in the Ukrainian city of Mariupol and torturing and killing civilians in Bucha.
The Kremlin has denied the allegations of war crimes.
Nevzorov, who continues to criticize Putin and his government over the war in Ukraine on YouTube, rejected the allegations, saying he had the right to express his opinion.
Alexander Nevzorov's property in Russia has been confiscated, and as reported by Radio Free Europe's English-language editorial office, he is currently in Canada, where he lectures on Russia's aggression against Ukraine. Has permanent residence in one of the member states of the European Union.
In June last year, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky signed a decree granting Ukrainian citizenship to Nevzorov and his wife Lidia.
Since Russia launched its invasion of Ukraine, which its officials call a "special military operation," nearly a year ago, Russian law enforcement and courts have been cracking down on dissidents.
In early March, days after Russia launched a war against Ukraine on February 24, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a law that mandates long prison terms for distributing "false information" about Russian military operations, in an effort by the Kremlin to control the narrative of the war in Ukraine .
Spreading "false information" about the army that leads to "serious consequences" carries a maximum sentence of 15 years in prison.
Top10VPN, a company that has been monitoring the blocking of websites in Russia since Moscow launched its invasion of Ukraine on February 24 last year, said Russian censors have blocked more than 4.300 domains, more than 85 percent of which relate to Ukrainian, Russian and international news sites. .
Since the beginning of Russian aggression, Russian censors have blocked a number of independent and international media outlets, including Radio Free Europe. Social media platforms, such as Facebook, Instagram and Twitter, are also targeted.
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