As Russian troops fight in Ukraine, Moscow vigorously suppresses dissent. (representative)
Moscow:
A Russian court on Wednesday sentenced a St. Petersburg woman to eight days in jail for writing “Against War” on her ballot paper during the country’s presidential election in protest against President Vladimir Putin’s Ukraine campaign.
Putin won an uncontested fifth term in the Kremlin in a three-day vote over the weekend that will extend his rule until at least 2030.
The election was marred by vote sabotage, with Putin warning in his victory speech that Russians who did so “must be dealt with”.
The St. Petersburg Dzerzhinsky District Court said it sentenced Alexandra Chiryatyeva to eight days in prison and a fine of 40,000 rubles (440 euros).
The statement said she was guilty of hooliganism and “smearing the Russian armed forces.”
“Kiriatieva took a ballot and wrote ‘No War’ on the back with a red marker and put it in the ballot box,” the court said.
“In this way, Chiryadeva destroyed state property and brought the Russian Armed Forces into disrepute.”
The court said Chiriatyeva did so on the final day of three days of voting, when Russian opposition groups called for protests against an election in which Putin’s victory was inevitable.
The vote was slammed by independent Western and Russian election observers, calling it one of the most corrupt in post-Soviet history.
As Russian troops fight in Ukraine, Moscow vigorously suppresses dissent.
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