A court in Far East Russias Zabaikalsky region sentenced journalist Nika Novak to 4 years in prison for collaborating with a foreign organization, Russian media reported Tuesday.Novak, the previous editor-in-chief of the local news outlet Zab.ru, was detained in Moscow in December 2023 and moved around 4,700 kilometers (2,900 miles) east to Chita, the capital of the Zabaikalsky region, for a closed-door trial that began in October.On Monday, Novak wrote on her Telegram channel that she was barred from contacting her mom in Chita, who is noted as a witness in the case.The Zabaikalsky Region Court discovered Novak guilty of personal partnership with an undefined foreign organization, according to the United States -funded Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL), which mentioned confidential sources acquainted with the matter.
Besides working as editor-in-chief at Zab.ru, Novak has also worked as a freelance correspondent for RFE/RL, the outlet said.Novak is amongst less than 10 individuals prosecuted under Russias 2022 law criminalizing collaboration with foreign entities, report said.
The human rights organization Memorial has actually recognized Novak as a political prisoner.Memorial kept in mind Novaks clashing views on Russias war in Ukraine.
While she had actually expressed support for pro-Russian rebels in eastern Ukraine given that 2014 and invited Moscows full-scale intrusion in 2022, she likewise lamented in March 2022 that serene Ukrainians are dropping off to sleep and waking up to the noise of shelling.An earlier variation of this article incorrectly stated that Novak was implicated of working with a foreign state.
She was implicated of working with a foreign media company.