Russian anti-war politician gets 11 years in penal colony
Photo: REUTERS
A Russian court in Pskov sentenced Lev Shlosberg, a prominent anti-war politician, to 11 years and one month in a penal colony on Monday.
The court found the 63-year-old deputy head of the liberal Yabloko party guilty of “discrediting” the nation’s armed forces and disseminating “false information” about them through social media comments.
Shlosberg denounced the verdict, asserting its sole purpose was to “punish a person for his political, public and civil position”.
The prosecution originally sought a term of 12 years and one month. During his closing speech, Shlosberg rejected the allegations and characterized the trial as “an imitation of an investigation” designed to “achieve an obviously illegal goal”.
Throughout the proceedings, the presiding judge repeatedly interrupted Shlosberg as he reiterated his demands for a ceasefire and the initiation of a “political dialogue” regarding the Russia-Ukraine war.
The ruling arrived just moments before the Russian Supreme Court dismissed Yabloko’s appeal against a ban preventing the party from participating in September’s parliamentary elections scheduled for 18-20 September.
Yabloko stands as the only registered political entity to openly oppose the full-scale invasion of Ukraine launched in 2022.
Authorities struck the party from the ballots earlier this month after accusing it of supporting the “international LGBT movement,” which the Supreme Court labels as extremist. The pro-Kremlin nationalist party Rodina filed a lawsuit alleging copyright infringement against the party.
While Yabloko denies all accusations and plans to appeal, President Vladimir Putin continues to crush remaining opposition after nearly 27 years in power. Wartime censorship laws have suppressed public dissent, threatening critics with hefty fines or lengthy imprisonment.
Despite state-owned pollster VCIOM reporting that United Russia’s approval rating dropped to 32.1 percent - its lowest since May - the Kremlin maintains the resources to secure its desired election outcome.
Meanwhile, independent election watchdogs have lost their capacity to effectively monitor the process, where all 10 other participating parties support the ongoing war.
Source: BBC (adapted)
