Russia convicts journalist Masha Gessen in absentia for criticising the war in Ukraine

On July 15, a Russian court convicted Russian-American journalist Masha Gessen in absentia on the bogus charge of spreading “false information” about the war in Ukraine.

Gessen, who was born in Russia but now lives in the United States, has denounced the actions of the Russian government since invading Ukraine in February 2022. But according to a statement Gessen posted on Facebook, the allegations were fueled by comments in a 2022 YouTube-based interview with Yuri Dud in which Gessen discussed Russian atrocities in 2022 in Bucha, a city outside Kyiv where Russian forces brutally killed numerous civilians as well as prisoners of war.

According to the New York Times, where Gessen is a columnist, Russia filed charges in August and put Gessen on the wanted list in December. The verdict was handed down by the Basmanny District Court in Moscow.

In response to the conviction, Gessen issued a lengthy public statement in Russian, but according to a translated version of the text, Gessen said they considered the criminal charges to be “illegal” and “baseless.” Gessen reflected on their reporting on Bucha, as well as other alleged abuses by Russian forces in parts of Ukraine that are or were occupied by Russia. Based on their own reporting, Gessen believes Russian forces committed war crimes in Bucha, Irpin, and other parts of Ukraine.

The criminal prosecution would amount to a ban on practicing journalism and is an attempt to punish journalists for fulfilling their professional duties, Gessen said in the statement.

“I am outside the Russian Federation, so the so-called court can only ‘examine’ my case, ‘arrest’ and ‘convict’ me in absentia,” Gessen wrote.

Gessen also spoke about the war in Ukraine in a brief interview with Gay City News during the 2023 edition of Brighton Beach Pride, shining a spotlight on the Russian government’s anti-LGBTQ policies.

“It’s no coincidence that there’s a new influx of LGBTQ refugees,” including from Russia, Gessen told Gay City News at the time. “There’s a real connection between the so-called traditional values ​​in the name of which Putin is waging this genocidal war in Ukraine and the anti-gay laws in Russia and the anti-trans laws and anti-drag laws and bans in this country.”

Many others have faced trumped-up charges in Russia’s crackdown on dissidents – a problem that has worsened over the past decade, particularly after the invasion of Ukraine. One of the most high-profile cases involved WNBA star Brittney Griner, who was arrested upon arriving in Moscow for a 2022 basketball offseason workout and faced a nine-year prison sentence before being released in a prisoner exchange. Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich has been imprisoned in Russia since March 2023 after being arrested on espionage charges – which he and his employer strongly deny.