A 68-year-old Russian pediatrician has been sentenced to five years in prison on charges of spreading so-called "fake news" about the Russian military after a patient's mother accused her of making anti-war comments.
After a judge at the Tushino District Court in Moscow sentenced Nadezhda Buyanova, who denied making the alleged comments, on November 12, dozens of people in the courtroom chanted "Shame" and expressed solidarity with the doctor.
The case underscores a growing trend among Russians reporting other Russians for making anti-war statements as the Kremlin's invasion of neighboring Ukraine approaches its 33rd month.
According to the human rights group OVD-Info, at least 1.057 people have faced criminal prosecution for comments deemed anti-war, while at least 20.061 have been detained for anti-war protests.
The case against Bujanova was initiated following a complaint by Anastasija Akinšina, a mother from Moscow who brought her seven-year-old son to the pediatrician for an examination. During the examination of the child, Bujanova allegedly noticed that the child was acting nervous.
When Akinshina explained that her son was struggling with the trauma of losing his father, who was killed in the war in Ukraine as a Russian soldier, Buyanova reportedly said that the child's deceased father was a "legitimate military target."
Akinšina, the child's mother, filed a police complaint against Dr. Bujanova.
Bujanova denies that she made any such statement and insists that she did not discuss the army or the boy's father with Akinšin during the visit. The pediatrician claims that she is the victim of a false accusation.
Bujanova was fired from her job immediately after the report, although she persistently denied the accusations and asked to return to work. The court ruled in her favor in July, requiring her to be reinstated to her position at the medical clinic.
The case has drawn attention from rights groups and the media, particularly because of the growing number of lawsuits under Russia's "fake news" law, which is increasingly being used to silence critics of the government and its military actions, particularly those related to the war in Ukraine.
Critics argue that the law is part of a broader pattern of repression designed to stifle dissent and control public discourse regarding Russia's actions in Ukraine.
Bonus video:
