The decision was issued after a short hearing in an administrative court in Moscow. Ovsyannikova dismissed the proceedings against her as “absurd”. “The evidence confirms Ovsyannikova’s guilt. There is no reason to doubt their authenticity,” the judge said. Ovsyannikova gained international attention in March after she stormed into the studios of Russian state television, her then employer, to denounce the war in Ukraine during a live news broadcast. At the time she was fined 30,000 rubles for violating protest laws. Thursday’s hearing was about subsequent social media posts in which he wrote that those responsible for Russia’s actions in Ukraine would stand trial in an international court. Russia passed a law against “discrediting” its armed forces, punishable by up to 15 years in prison, in early March, soon after President Vladimir Putin launched his “special military operation” against Ukraine. In court, Ovsyannikova repeated her protest and said she would not retract her words. She said she didn’t understand why she was there and why she was being judged. “What is happening here is absurd,” he said. “War is horror, blood and shame.” He continued: “Your accusations are like accusing me of spreading monkey pox,” he said. “The purpose of the trial is to intimidate all people who oppose the war in the Russian Federation.” He described Russia as an aggressor country, saying: “Starting this war is the greatest crime of our government.” A lawyer for Ovsyannikova said she had the right to speak under Article 29 of the Russian constitution which protects the right to freedom of expression, but the judge rejected the lawyer’s arguments. (Reporting by Reuters)
