Russian journalist Svetlana Prokopieva faces 7 years in prison

 Svetlana Prokopyeva, a Russian journalist from the city of Pskov, stands accused of ‘justifying terrorism.’ The maximum penalty for this crime is seven years in prison.

It all started in February after the publication of an article by Svetlana Prokopieva on the site of a local radio station.  

It concerned a case in Arkhangelsk, where a 17-year-old boy blew himself up at the entrance to the local branch of the federal security service in protest against the torture of those arrested by this organization.

According to Prokopieva, the main culprit for why there are more acts of terrorism is state repression against protest. 

After this publication, a case was initiated against the journalist under the criminal article “Justification of terrorism”.

Her house was searched, all electronic media were seized.  Prokopieva’s bank accounts were frozen.

Svetlana Prokopieva denies the charges against her. She says she was simply honestly doing her job, analyzing the causes of such a phenomenon as terrorism.  

Here is what she wrote on her FB account, asking fellow journalists for support:

“If you are not afraid, post this quote:

“A strong state.  Strong president, strong governor.  A country in which power belongs to the security forces. The generation to which the Archangel bomber belonged grew up in this atmosphere. They know that you cannot go to rallies – that the police will disperse, or even beat, then they will sentence you to prison.

They know that sole picket lines are punishable.  They see that only in a certain set of parties can you be a member and only a certain range of opinions can be expressed without fear. This generation has learned from examples that justice cannot be achieved in court – the court will stamp the decision with which Comrade Major came.

“The long-term restriction of political and civil liberties in Russia created not just an unfree, but a repressive state. A state with which it is unsafe and scary to deal.”

More than 20 media outlets in Russia responded to this call and printed the text.

After that, Svetlana Prokopieva’s colleagues in Pskov were summoned for questioning.

JAMnews expresses its professional solidarity with Svetlana Prokopieva.