RUSSIA: A Russian court on Wednesday sentenced a journalist to seven years in prison for criticizing the Ukraine offensive in social media posts.
Roman Ivanov, 51, was found guilty of spreading “false information” about Russia’s armed forces and punished under Moscow’s strict military censorship laws.
Moscow has used laws against “discrediting” the armed forces or publishing “false information” to stamp out public criticism of its full-scale military offensive on Ukraine.
“Peace and freedom,” Ivanov shouted as he left the courtroom after the sentence.
“We’re with you. You are not alone,” his applauding supporters shouted, AFP journalists at the courtroom saw.
In social media posts published in 2022 on the Telegram and VKontake social media sites, Ivanov criticized Russia’s military offensive in Ukraine and its actions in the Ukrainian city of Bucha.
He was arrested last year and pleaded not guilty in court.
In a final statement at a previous hearing he said: “Journalism no longer exists in Russia.”
“We must ask ourselves why we are sowing suffering and unhappiness all around us, why our country has turned into an avalanche of suffering and unhappiness,” he added.
Ivanov used to work for a local state-run TV channel but was fired in 2021 after reporting on alleged corruption, electoral fraud and ecological problems in Korolyov, a town northeast of Moscow.
Ivanov’s wife, Maria Nekrasova, said Wednesday he had proved that his posts “contained no false information” and that he had “no motive for political hatred.”
She said they plan to appeal the ruling.
Speaking outside the court after the verdict, Ivanov’s family said they believed the case against him had been ordered by local authorities as retribution for his reporting.
“What’s in front of him has been completely fabricated,” his mother, Alla Ivanova, said.
“I will continue to fight,” she added, speaking through tears.
“I love my son and I’m proud of him. I’m proud that he fought for people, helped people.”
Russia jails journalist for criticizing Ukraine offensive
https://arab.news/pnahh
Russia jails journalist for criticizing Ukraine offensive
- Roman Ivanov was found guilty of spreading “false information” about Russia’s armed forces in social media posts
- Ivanov that the case was brought up in retaliation for his reporting and lamented that “journalism no longer exists in Russia” during the hearing
Iceland joins Eurovision boycott over Israel’s participation
- Decision follows similar moves by Spain, the Netherlands, Ireland and Slovenia over the Gaza war
- Iceland’s national broadcaster says it pulled out 'given the public debate' in the country
LONDON: Iceland’s national broadcaster said Wednesday it will boycott next year’s Eurovision Song Contest because of discord over Israel’s participation, joining four other countries in a walkout of the pan-continental music competition.
Broadcasters in Spain, the Netherlands, Ireland and Slovenia told contest organizer the European Broadcasting Union last week that they will not take part in the contest in Vienna in May after organizers declined to expel Israel over its conduct of the war against Hamas in Gaza.
The board of Iceland’s RÚV met Wednesday to make a decision.
At its conclusion the broadcaster said in a statement that “given the public debate in this country ... it is clear that neither joy nor peace will prevail regarding the participation of RÚV in Eurovision. It is therefore the conclusion of RÚV to notify the EBU today that RÚV will not take part in Eurovision next year.”
“The Song Contest and Eurovision have always had the aim of uniting the Icelandic nation but it is now clear that this aim cannot be achieved and it is on these program-related grounds that this decision is taken,” the broadcaster said.
Last week the general assembly of the EBU — a group of public broadcasters from 56 countries that runs Eurovision — met to discuss concerns about Israel’s participation. Members voted to adopt tougher contest voting rules in response to allegations that Israel manipulated the vote in favor of its competitor, but took no action to exclude any broadcaster from the competition.
The pullouts include some big names in the Eurovision world. Spain is one of the “Big Five” large-market countries that contribute the most to the contest. Ireland has won seven times, a record it shares with Sweden.
Iceland, a volcanic North Atlantic island nation with a population of 360,000, has never won but has the highest per capita viewing audience of any country.
The walkouts cast a cloud over the future of what’s meant to be a feel-good cultural party marked by friendly rivalry and disco beats, dealing a blow to fans, broadcasters and the contest’s finances.
The contest, which turns 70 in 2026, strives to put pop before politics, but has repeatedly been embroiled in world events. Russia was expelled in 2022 after its full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
It has been roiled by the war in Gaza for the past two years, stirring protests outside the venues and forcing organizers to clamp down on political flag-waving.
Opponents of Israel’s participation cite the war in Gaza, where more than 70,000 Palestinians have been killed, according to the territory’s Health Ministry, which operates under the Hamas-run government and whose detailed records are viewed as generally reliable by the international community.
Israel’s government has repeatedly defended its campaign as a response to the attack by Hamas-led militants on Oct. 7, 2023. The militants killed around 1,200 people — mostly civilians — in the attack and took 251 hostage.
A number of experts, including those commissioned by a UN body, have said that Israel’s offensive in Gaza amounts to genocide, a claim Israel has vigorously denied.
Wednesday marked the final day for national broadcasters to announce whether they planned to participate. More than two dozen countries have confirmed they will attend the contest in Vienna, and the EBU says a final list of competing nations will be published before Christmas.
