Court in Russia's Kaliningrad sentences lawyer to 12 years on treason charge
Prosecutors said Maria Bontsler passed sensitive information to Ukraine, while her lawyers said the material was public and the trial was closed.
- On Thursday, a Kaliningrad court sentenced human rights lawyer Maria Bontsler to 12 years in a penal colony on treason charges, with prosecutors alleging she passed sensitive information about security officers to Ukrainian intelligence services.
- Authorities detained Bontsler in May 2025 on "confidential cooperation" charges, later upgrading the case to treason. Investigators allege she gathered information on Federal Security Service officers involved in prosecuting cases against people cooperating with foreign states.
- The trial was conducted behind closed doors, with Bontsler and her legal team barred from attending hearings. Her lawyers maintain that information cited by prosecutors was public knowledge, previously disclosed during open court proceedings.
- Alongside the 12-year sentence, the court imposed one year of activity restrictions. Prosecutors had requested a 10,000 ruble fine, accusing Bontsler of providing criminal case details to Ukraine's SBU security service.
- Human rights advocates, including the Nobel Peace Prize-winning Memorial group, expressed concern about Bontsler's declining health and detention conditions. Her defense team contends the prosecution serves as political reprisal for her advocacy work representing dissidents.
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9 Articles
Russia Jails Prominent Human Rights Lawyer 12 Years for Treason
A court in Russia’s Baltic exclave of Kaliningrad sentenced prominent human rights lawyer Maria Bontsler to 12 years in a penal colony on treason charges, the legal rights project Slovo Zashite reported Thursday. Bontsler, 66, was arrested in Kaliningrad last May on charges of “confidential cooperation with a foreign state,” which were later upgraded to treason charges. Prosecutors accused Bontsler of passing information to Ukrainian intelligence services about Federal Security Service (FSB) officers who investigated espionage, treason and terrorism cases.
Court in Russia's Kaliningrad sentences lawyer to 12 years on treason charge
A court in Russia's western enclave of Kaliningrad on Thursday sentenced a rights lawyer to 12 years in prison on treason charges, with prosecutors saying she passed on sensitive information to Ukraine.
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