US Jounalist Convicted In Absentia by Moscow Court

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Facts

  • Journalist and author Masha Gessen, a dual US-Russian citizen, was convicted in absentia Monday by a Moscow court and sentenced to eight years in prison on charges of spreading false information about the military.1
  • Born in Moscow, Gessen now lives in the US, working as a staff writer for The New Yorker and a columnist for The New York Times. Russian police put Gessen on a wanted list in December, reportedly over statements the journalist made about violence in the Ukrainian town of Bucha.2
  • Gessen made the statements in a September 2022 interview with prominent Russian blogger Yury Dud, claiming that Russian forces were responsible for at least 400 dead bodies found by Ukrainian troops upon retaking the city. The video received 6.5M views on YouTube.3
  • Russia denies that its military is responsible for any atrocities in Bucha, maintaining that it only strikes Ukrainian military targets, not civilians. Since the war broke out in 2022, Russia has restricted alleged misinformation about its military conduct in Ukraine.3
  • Gessen, 57, came to the US as a teenager and returned to Russia following the collapse of the Soviet Union. The journalist, who uses they/them pronouns, left Russia for good in 2013 after the Kremlin passed laws against the LGBTQ+ community.4
  • Gessen responded to the conviction in a Facebook post, calling the charges “illegal and unfounded.” The staunch Putin critic has written books and articles condemning the Russian president.5

Sources: 1Associated Press, 2Guardian, 3New York Post, 4New York Times and 5CNN.

Narratives

  • Anti-Russia narrative, as provided by PEN America. Under Vladimir Putin’s dictatorship, Russia continues to prosecute journalists and infringe on basic human rights. The Kremlin has long targeted Masha Gessen for their staunch criticism of Putin and their commitment to reporting the truth. As Russia continues its brutal campaign in Ukraine, it also maintains its strict repression of speech and imprisons journalists for doing their job. While unsurprising, this conviction shows Russia’s assault on democracy and freedom.
  • Pro-Russia narrative, as provided by RT. Masha Gessen has long operated as a foreign agent of the US, leaving Russia more than 10 years ago in order to promote LGBTQ+ propaganda. However, she continued to spread misinformation about the Russian military to provoke further Russophobia abroad. Russia does not, and will not, allow foreign agents to lie about its military operation, and Masha Gessen is no exception.

Predictions