CNN —Russian-American journalist Masha Gessen was sentenced to eight years in prison by a Moscow court Monday for criticizing the Russian military, becoming the latest target of a crackdown on critics of the Kremlin.
Gessen was convicted in absentia on charges of disseminating “false information” about the Russian armed forces, according to the Moscow court statement.
My statements are based on data collected during my journalistic work,” Gessen said, highlighting a series of interviews they conducted in Bucha, Irpin, Kyiv, and Kryvyi Rih in 2022, as well as their previous journalistic work in Chechnya.
While the Russian military has conducted its invasion, the Kremlin has sought to stifle criticism of its strategy at home.
“I am outside the Russian Federation, so the so-called court can ‘consider’ my case, ‘arrest,’ and ‘sentence’ me only in absentia.
Persons:
Masha Gessen, Gessen, ” Gessen, Vladimir Putin’s, “, Yuri, Kryvyi, ”, Evan Gershkovich, Gershkovich
Organizations:
CNN, Kremlin, The New York Times, Facebook, YouTube, “, Russian Armed Forces, Criminal Court, ICC, Russian Federation, Wall Street, CIA, WSJ, US State Department
Locations:
American, Moscow, Russian, Russia, United States, Ukraine, Bucha, Irpin, Kyiv, Chechnya, Sverdlovsk, Yekaterinburg