Radio Free Europe
RFE/RL journalists report the news in 22 countries where a free press is banned by the government or not fully established, including Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Russia.
Siberian Psychologist Jailed In Absentia Over Anti-War Stance.
A court in the Siberian city of Omsk has sentenced psychologist Olga Belova to six years in prison in absentia on a charge of distributing "deliberately false" information about Russia's armed forces motivated by political hatred.
The press service of the Omsk region's courts said on May 7 that the decision was made by the Lenin district court.
Belova, who is the former head of the Alliance of Doctors independent union branch in Omsk, was fired from the city's cardiology center in April 2022 over her open criticism of Russia's unprovoked invasion of Ukraine launched in February of that year.
Belova was fined by a local court twice in 2022 on a charge of discrediting Russia's armed forces.
In December last year, Russian authorities added Belova to their wanted list. Her current location is unknown.
Separately on May 7, a court in Moscow issued an arrest warrant for blogger Dmitry Ivanov (aka Kamikadze Di) on a charge of distributing false information about the Russian military.
Ivanov left Russia in 2017. The probe against him was launched in 2022 after he condemned online Russia's full-scale aggression against Ukraine and criticized Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova.
In December 2022, Russian authorities added Ivanov to their wanted list.
Since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, accusations of discrediting the Russian military or distributing false information about Russia's armed forces have been filed almost daily across the country.
The Investigative Committee has said that between March 2022 and January 2024, 273 cases were filed on "false information about Russia's military," while 81 cases were filed on "discrediting Russia's armed forces."
According to the OVD-Info rights group, 282 people have been charged with distributing false information about the armed forces and 177 were charged with discrediting the military during that period.
With reporting by Mediazona
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