Russian writer Boris Akunin, real name Grigory Chkhartishvili, has been sentenced in absentia to 14 years in prison on charges of publicly justifying terrorism, aiding terrorist activities and evading obligations under Russia's foreign agent laws.
According to the press service of the Investigative Committee of Russia, Chartishvili, who has both Russian and British citizenship, called for a violent change in the constitutional order of Russia and justified terrorist activities in Ukraine, according to the TASS agency.
The writer has lived in London since 2014. In December 2023, he was placed on the register of terrorists and extremists, and in January 2024, the Russian Ministry of Justice designated him as a foreign agent.
His lawyer, Oleg Dubinin, has appealed the verdict.
"The court sentences Grigory Chkhartishvili to 14 years in prison, with the first four years to be served in prison and the remainder in a strict-regime penal colony, along with a fine of 600.000 rubles ($7.690 at the current exchange rate) and a ban on managing websites for four years," the judge read, according to a TASS correspondent.
The verdict can be challenged before the appellate court. Serving the sentence will begin from the moment of his arrest upon crossing the Russian border or upon possible extradition to Russia.
Chartishvili was found guilty in absentia of aiding and abetting terrorist activities (Article 205.1, paragraph 1 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation), publicly justifying terrorism via the Internet (Article 205.2, paragraph 2), and evading obligations under the law on foreign agents (Article 330.1, paragraph 2). According to his lawyer, the writer does not plead guilty. His court-appointed defense attorney,
The press service of the Investigative Committee of Russia also states that he violated the rules on the activities of foreign agents twice last year, but continued to violate the ban by publishing content on the Internet without proper warnings. He was charged in absentia and put on an international arrest warrant.
The legal defense of Russian writer Boris Akunin has filed an appeal against a 14-year prison sentence handed down in absentia, his lawyer Oleg Dubinin confirmed to TASS.
"The defense filed an appeal with the Military Court of the Western District No. 2, demanding the annulment of the first-instance court's verdict against Grigory Chkhartishvili and his acquittal due to lack of evidence," Dubinin said.
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