Siberian journalist and activist Maria Ponomarenko, who is serving a six-year jail sentence for speaking out against the war in Ukraine, was sentenced Thursday to an additional year and 10 months for allegedly assaulting prison guards.
Ponomarenko, 46, was convicted in 2023 for publishing reports on Russia’s bombing of a theater in Mariupol, Ukraine. She denies both that charge and the latest assault accusation, calling the case politically motivated and accusing prison authorities of abuse.
A judge in the Altai region found her guilty of “disrupting the work of a penal colony,” according to her employer, RusNews.
Prosecutors had sought a two-year sentence, asking to combine it with her existing term. According to Ponomarenko’s lawyer, a judge granted the combined sentence, which means she is set for release in three years.
The human rights group Memorial recognizes the journalist as a political prisoner.
Ponomarenko has been diagnosed with histrionic personality disorder and has attempted suicide in detention. RusNews reported earlier this month that she was again on the verge of suicide and had launched a hunger strike to demand better conditions.
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