Ivan Safronov Loses Appeal Against 22-Year Prison Sentence

Reuters' court correspondent in Russia reported that former Russian journalist Ivan Safronov lost his latest appeal on Wednesday against a 22-year prison sentence for high treason. Safronov was arrested in 2020 after being accused of disclosing classified information. He had previously worked as a reporter for the newspapers "Kommersant" and "Vedomosti" before later becoming an advisor to the head of the Russian space agency. He was sentenced in September last year, which his supporters described as a harsh ruling that reflects the lack of press freedom in Russia. He was accused of transferring military secrets to the Czech Republic, a NATO member, but his defense team argued that the case was retaliation for his reporting on Russia's plans to sell fighter jets to Egypt. In February, Safronov was transferred to a high-security prison in the Krasnoyarsk region of Siberia and did not attend the Russian Supreme Court's decision hearing in Moscow on Wednesday. His lawyers told reporters that it is now up to Safronov to decide whether he wants to attempt another appeal to the Supreme Court's head. Russian politician Vladimir Kara-Murza lost an appeal on Monday against a 25-year prison sentence for charges of treason and spreading "false information" about the Russian armed forces due to his public opposition to Moscow's actions in Ukraine.