Russian photographer gets 16 years prison for Soviet-era bunker details

Grigory Skvortsov, who denies wrongdoing successful sharing details of the bunkers, volition service his condemnation successful a maximum-security prison.

A Russian tribunal has recovered a lensman blameworthy of treason and jailed him for 16 years for allegedly sharing accusation astir Soviet-era underground bunkers with an American journalist.

The tribunal successful the occidental metropolis of Perm sentenced Grigory Skvortsov connected Thursday aft a closed-door trial, without giving much details connected the charges. Skvortsov, who was arrested by Russian authorities successful 2023, has denied immoderate wrongdoing.

The tribunal said Skvortsov would service his condemnation successful a maximum-security corrective situation camp.

It besides published a photograph of him successful a solid courtroom cage dressed successful achromatic arsenic helium listened to the verdict being work out.

In a December 2024 interrogation with Pervy Otdel, a radical of exiled Russian lawyers, Skvortsov said helium had passed connected accusation that was either publically disposable online oregon disposable to bargain from the Russian writer of a publication astir Soviet-era underground facilities for usage successful the lawsuit of a atomic war.

Skvortsov did not sanction the US writer helium was moving with successful the interrogation with Pervy Otdel.

Since its penetration of neighbouring Ukraine successful 2022, Russia has radically expanded its explanation of what constitutes authorities secrets and has jailed academics, scientists and journalists it deems to person contravened the caller rules.

Skvortsov, who specialises successful architecture photography, has besides spoken retired publically against Moscow’s subject violative connected Ukraine. He has alleged that Federal Security Service (FSB) officers bushed him during his apprehension successful November 2023 and said they tried to unit him nether duress to admit guilt to treason.

An online enactment radical for Skvortsov said connected Telegram aft the verdict that “a occurrence had not happened” and the photographer’s lone anticipation of getting retired of jailhouse was to beryllium exchanged arsenic portion of a captive swap betwixt Russia and the West.

The Nobel Peace Prize-winning rights organisation Memorial has listed Skvortsov arsenic among those subjected to transgression prosecution that is apt “politically motivated and marked by superior ineligible violations”.

Earlier this year, a Russian tribunal sentenced 4 journalists to 5 and a fractional years successful situation each aft convicting them of “extremism” linked to their alleged enactment with an organisation founded by the late absorption person Alexey Navalny.

Source:

Al Jazeera and quality agencies