Moscow court sentences opposition activist Yashin to 8.5 years over fakes about Russian Armed Forces

MOSCOW. Dec 9 (Interfax) - The Meshchansky District Court in Moscow has sentenced opposition activist Ilya Yashin (designated a foreign-agent person in Russia) to eight and a half years in a general penitentiary for spreading fake information about the Russian Armed Forces, an Interfax correspondent reported from the courtroom.

"To sentence Yashin to eight years and six months in a general penitentiary," Judge Oksana Goryunova said.

In addition, the court prohibited Yashin from administering Internet resources for four years.

Yashin was found guilty of the public dissemination of knowingly false information about actions of the Russian Armed Forces for reasons of political hate.

While considering the penalty, the court took into consideration both aggravating and alleviating circumstances, such as information about Yashin's health and his elderly parents. However, seeking to restore social justice, the court decided that Yashin must be sentenced to imprisonment.

The court included the period spent by Yashin in a detention facility in his term of imprisonment, counting one day in a detention facility for 1.5 days in the general penitentiary.

As the sentence was pronounced, the defense said it would file an appeal. "Naturally, we will appeal the sentence," lawyer Maria Eismont said.

The investigators and the court found that Yashin spread false information about actions of the Russian Armed Forces in Ukraine on YouTube on April 3, 2022.

Yashin pleaded not guilty and said his prosecution was politically motivated.

Yashin was detained in July and has been held in custody since then.