Russian prosecutors on Thursday, May 18, have asked the Oktyabr (October) district court to fine Kremlin critic, Yevgeny Roizman for his comments about the Ukraine conflict.
The Russian prosecutor has urged the judge to “find Yevgeny Roizman guilty and impose a fine of 260,000 rubles (nearly $3,250)” for discrediting the Russian military.
A trial by fire?
The 60-year-old critic Yevgeny Roizman, pleaded not guilty at the trial that began on April 26 this year. He was arrested in August last year for his statements on the Russia-Ukraine war that started in February 2022.
The trial, which was conducted on the basis of a video posted on YouTube in July 2022, where Roizman was allegedly accused of discrediting the Russian army could have ended in him being jailed for up to five years.
Since his arrest, he has been barred from using the internet, telephones and mails. His communications have been limited to family members and his lawyers. Additionally, he has also been barred from attending any public event.
Roizman was sentenced to 14 days in jail in mid-March this year while he awaited trial on a separate charge regarding the alleged distribution of extremist symbols.
The sentencing of Roizman
Since the war began, Roizman has been very vocal about the conflict. He has even been fined thrice on the account of ‘misdemeanour’ for ‘discrediting’ the Russian army.
The lenient sentence asked by the prosecutor was justified on the grounds that the offence holds “low gravity” and the “mitigating circumstances” that includes the fact that Roizman has young children and is involved in charitable activities.
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Russia’s attempt to silence critics?
Since the Russia-Ukraine war started, Russia has been trying its best to suppress any uproar or voice of dissent that questions the legitimacy of the war or President Putin’s leadership.
Shortly after the war began, President Putin signed a law which criminalises any criticism regarding the armed forces or the conduct of the Ukraine war; which the Russians consider to be a “special military operation.”
Several critics of the war have been jailed over a period of time for questioning the current scenario and Putin’s leadership. In April opposition politician and critic Vladimir Kara-Murza was sentenced by a court in Moscow for 25 years in prison on treason and other charges for criticizing the war.
