Source: ABC News
“A Russian journalist was convicted and sentenced to 12 years in prison on Tuesday on charges of ‘extremism’ over her links to an opposition group, part of an unrelenting crackdown on dissent. A court in the city of Ufa in Russia’s Bashkortostan region found Olga Komleva, 46, guilty of involvement with an organization of late opposition leader Alexei Navalny that was officially branded ‘extremist.’ Following her closed-door trial, the judge also found Komleva guilty on charges of ‘spreading false information’ about the Russian military. She rejected the charges. Komleva, who has been in custody since her arrest in March 2024, had worked as a volunteer at the regional branch of Navalny’s Foundation for Fighting Corruption before it was outlawed in 2021 in a move widely seen as politically motivated. She also worked for an independent news outlet and covered protests in the region.” (07/29/25)