INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
Russian authorities have opened a record number of treason cases in 2023, the human rights project Perviy Otdel, which specializes in cases
of which were for high treason
Seven others were for "confidential cooperation with a foreign state or organization."The courts have reportedly handed down 37 verdicts,
all of them guilty."This clearly demonstrates the trend toward military spy mania," said Dmitry Zair-Bek, the head of Perviy Otdel,
courts together had 98 treason cases on the docket in 2023.For comparison, Russian authorities launched 101 treason cases over the 20 years
2024 due to the growing number of court cases this year."We know almost nothing about the defendants in these cases because the hearings are
held behind closed doors without the participation of journalists, and the courts erase information about the defendants," the project
said.Perviy Otdel attributed the record number of treason cases to "provocations by FSB officers" who entrap anti-war Russians into
incriminating themselves online."This is a signal that the FSB demands results [in the form of] people being sent to [prison] camps," said
Yevgeny Smirnov, a lawyer at Perviy Otdel.Espionage charges carry a maximum prison sentence of 20 years
