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Tuesday March 18, 2025
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Russia frees journalist convicted of 'justifying terrorism'

By AFP
March 13, 2025
Russian journalist Nadezhda Kevorkova appears in court for the start of her trial for justifying terrorism over posts on her Telegram account, in Moscow on March 10, 2025.—AFP
Russian journalist Nadezhda Kevorkova appears in court for the start of her trial for "justifying terrorism" over posts on her Telegram account, in Moscow on March 10, 2025.—AFP

MOSCOW: A Russian journalist who faced six years in prison after being convicted of “justifying terrorism” was released with a fine on Wednesday in a rare lenient ruling. A judge at a military court in Moscow found Nadezhda Kevorkova guilty of “publicly justifying and calling for terrorism” in posts, Russian news agencies reported. The respected 66-year-old journalist specialises in the Middle East.

But the judge Roman Vladimirov released her in the courtroom with a 600,000-ruble ($6,900) fine, reduced from 700,000 rubles because she had been held in detention since last May.

The verdict came after Kevorkova´s lawyer told the court that the father of Alina Kabaeva -- a former Olympic gymnast widely rumoured to be the partner of President Vladimir Putin -- had offered to be her guarantor, the Mediazona website reported.