Russian prosecutors requested a 24-year sentence for respected former reporter Ivan Safronov, who is accused of treason for allegedly sharing state secrets. The trial comes with independent media and NGOs facing increasing pressure in Russia, especially since the February start of Moscow’s military intervention in Ukraine. “The prosecutor asked to sentence Ivan to 24 years in a strict regime penal colony,” Safronov’s lawyer Dmitry Katchev told the RIA Novosti news agency following a closed-door hearing.
Safronov’s former lawyer Yevgeny Smirnov said on Facebook that the ex-reporter turned down an offer of 12 years in jail in return for a guilty plea. The 32-year-old worked for business newspapers Kommersant and Vedomosti and was one of Russia’s most respected journalists covering defence. – AFP
