Russian court sentences rights lawyer to 12 years for treason

A court in Russia’s Baltic exclave of Kaliningrad has sentenced 66‑year‑old rights lawyer Maria Bontsler to 12 years’ imprisonment on a treason charge.

The sentencing was handed down on Thursday, according to the rights group Slovo Zashchite, which said Bontsler had represented a number of defendants accused of political offences in the region.

Prosecutors allege that Bontsler passed security‑related information to Ukraine from 2024, including details about security officers and criminal cases of interest to Kyiv. The court’s statement, posted on Telegram, did not name her but described the allegations.

The trial was conducted behind closed doors; Bontsler and her lawyers were barred from attending and were allowed only to make a closing statement. Her lawyers maintain that none of the material cited by prosecutors was secret and that she has been in ill health while in detention.

In addition to the prison term, Bontsler received an extra year of activity restrictions. Prosecutors had originally sought a 15‑year sentence.

The case follows a broader pattern of Russian courts imposing harsh penalties on lawyers handling politically sensitive matters since the invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

Source: Al Jazeera. Photo: SevenStorm JUHASZIMRUS / Pexels.