> A Russian journalist has been fined and released after she protested against the war in Ukraine on a live TV news programme and made an anti-war video.
> Marina Ovsyannikova, an editor at state-controlled Channel 1, was detained after she ran on to the set on Monday holding a sign saying “no war”.
> She said she had been questioned for 14 hours and not slept for two days, and was not given access to legal help.
> The 30,000 rouble (£214; $280) fine relates to her video message.
> She had pleaded not guilty to the charge of organising an unauthorised public event.
> In the video, she called on the Russian people to protest against the war, saying only they have the power to “stop all this madness”.
> “Don’t be afraid of anything. They can’t imprison us all,” she said.
> It is not clear if she will face separate charges relating to her protest on live TV, and there had been fears she would be prosecuted under a more serious, new criminal law that bans calling Russia’s military action in Ukraine an “invasion” or spreading “fake news” about the conflict.
> After the court hearing Ms Ovsyannikova told reporters that she needed to rest after two days without sleep.
> “The interrogation lasted for more than 14 hours, I wasn’t allowed to get in touch with my family or friends, I was denied access to a lawyer,” she said.
> Lawyers were unable to locate Ms Ovsyannikova for several hours after she was detained on Monday evening.
> Her whereabouts were unknown until an image circulated on Russian media showing Ms Ovsyannikova in court with lawyer Anton Gashinsky.
2 comments
> A Russian journalist has been fined and released after she protested against the war in Ukraine on a live TV news programme and made an anti-war video.
> Marina Ovsyannikova, an editor at state-controlled Channel 1, was detained after she ran on to the set on Monday holding a sign saying “no war”.
> She said she had been questioned for 14 hours and not slept for two days, and was not given access to legal help.
> The 30,000 rouble (£214; $280) fine relates to her video message.
> She had pleaded not guilty to the charge of organising an unauthorised public event.
> In the video, she called on the Russian people to protest against the war, saying only they have the power to “stop all this madness”.
> “Don’t be afraid of anything. They can’t imprison us all,” she said.
> It is not clear if she will face separate charges relating to her protest on live TV, and there had been fears she would be prosecuted under a more serious, new criminal law that bans calling Russia’s military action in Ukraine an “invasion” or spreading “fake news” about the conflict.
> After the court hearing Ms Ovsyannikova told reporters that she needed to rest after two days without sleep.
> “The interrogation lasted for more than 14 hours, I wasn’t allowed to get in touch with my family or friends, I was denied access to a lawyer,” she said.
> Lawyers were unable to locate Ms Ovsyannikova for several hours after she was detained on Monday evening.
> Her whereabouts were unknown until an image circulated on Russian media showing Ms Ovsyannikova in court with lawyer Anton Gashinsky.
She is a real hero.