Woman in Severomorsk fined 500,000 rubles for Telegram comment
A 46-year-old woman from Severomorsk, the headquarter city of Russia’s Northern Fleet, was convicted of publicly "inciting terrorism."
The Northern Fleet Military Court sentenced the local woman to a fine of 500,000 rubles (€5,300) for publicly "inciting terrorist activity."
According to the court’s press service, on 29 October 2024, the woman posted a comment in Ukrainian in a Telegram channel chat. The court ruled that her comment called for the shelling of residential buildings and UNESCO World Heritage sites in Russia.
She was found guilty under Part 2 of Article 205 of the Russian Criminal Code, which covers public calls for terrorist activity, as well as the justification or promotion of terrorism via mass media or the internet.
In addition to the fine, the court banned the woman from administering websites and online channels for two years.
The verdict has not yet entered into legal force and may still be appealed.
Part 2 of Article 205 is frequently applied in contemporary Russian judicial practice. For example, the 2nd Western District Military Court in Moscow hands down daily rulings under this article. However, it is impossible to determine the exact nature of the charges, which publications led to prosecutions, or the outcomes of these cases, as information about such proceedings is hidden on the court’s website.
Those convicted under this article may face fines ranging from 300,000 to 1 million rubles (€3,200–€10,600) or imprisonment for five to seven years.
