Commenting on Amnesty International’s designation of Ivan Safronov – a former journalist from Russia sentenced to 22 years’ imprisonment on “high treason” charges – as a prisoner of conscience, Marie Struthers, Amnesty International’s Eastern Europe and Central Asia Director, said:
“The Russian authorities have not presented credible evidence that Ivan Safronov committed high treason. They conducted an unfair trial behind closed doors and issued a chilling 22-year sentence, apparently motivated by the desire to punish him for his journalistic work.
“Ivan Safronov’s case is emblematic of the Russian authorities’ assault on independent journalism and freedom of expression. Reprisals against his lawyers and continuing pressure against Ivan to make him reveal his sources show a system determined to silence journalists and punish those defending their rights.
Ivan Safronov’s case is emblematic of the Russian authorities’ assault on independent journalism and freedom of expression
Marie Struthers, Amnesty International’s Eastern Europe and Central Asia Director
“Ivan Safronov is a prisoner of conscience, imprisoned solely for his work as a journalist and for exercising his right to freedom of expression. The Russian authorities must immediately and unconditionally release him, quash his conviction, and ensure that journalists and lawyers can do their work without fear of reprisals.”
Background
Ivan Safronov worked for Kommersant and Vedomosti newspapers, reporting on Russia’s military and technical cooperation with foreign states, Russia’s defence and space industries, corruption and politics. Shortly before his arrest, he joined the Russian Space Agency (Roskosmos) as an adviser to the Director General.
He was detained by Federal Security Service (FSB) officers in Moscow on 7 July 2020 and charged with “high treason” under Article 275 of the Russian Criminal Code. The authorities alleged that he had passed classified information concerning Russia’s defence and security to a representative of a NATO country’s intelligence service.
The authorities failed to provide credible evidence to substantiate the accusations, and the case against Safronov was marred by secrecy, questionable evidence and serious fair-trial violations. These findings have been reported by independent media outlets.
On 5 September 2022, Moscow City Court sentenced Ivan Safronov to 22 years’ imprisonment. He is serving his sentence in a high security penal colony in Krasnoyarsk, over 4,000 km from his home in Moscow.
Ivan Safronov’s defence lawyers, including Ivan Pavlov, Evgueny Smirnov and Dmitry Talantov, were also subjected to prosecution and other reprisals.