Russian Federation - December 2022

Ilya Yashin, the highest-profile opposition politician to remain in Russia since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, was sentenced to 8.5 years in prison on 9 December for “discrediting the Russian army.” Yashin had been a vocal critic of the Russian invasion, and had made numerous social media posts criticizing and publicizing the murders of Ukrainian civilians in Bucha by the Russian military before his arrest in July. Other opposition figures who have declined to emigrate have suffered similar consequences; Alexei Gorinov, a local Moscow politician, was sentenced on similar charges in July, and Vladimir Kara-Murza, a journalist and activist, has been detained since April and faces up to 24 years in prison on treason charges.

Sources: MediaZona, Amnesty International, Chikov (Telegram)