Russia releases a journalist convicted of ‘justifying terrorism’

In a rare merciful decision on Wednesday, a Russian journalist who was found guilty of “justifying terrorism” and faced six years in jail was released with a fine.

According to Russian news outlets, Nadezhda Kevorkova was convicted by a judge at a military court in Moscow of “publicly justifying and calling for terrorism” in posts. The esteemed journalist, who is 66 years old, focuses on the Middle East.

However, because she had been detained since last May, judge Roman Vladimirov freed her in court with a fine of 600,000 rubles ($6,900), which was lowered from 700,000 rubles.

According to the Mediazona website, Kevorkova’s attorney informed the court that Alina Kabaeva’s father, a former Olympic gymnast who is allegedly President Vladimir Putin’s lover, had volunteered to serve as her guarantee.

It said that Marat Kabayev is the leader of a group of Muslim businesspeople.

Following the decision, Kevorkova’s family members embraced and sobbed, according to a video released by the RusNews site.

“I’m at a loss for words. Her son, journalist Vasily Polonsky, posted on Telegram, “Thanks to everyone.”

A judge at the Second Western District court in Moscow imposed the punishment after prosecutors asked the Court to impose a six-year jail term.

Kaloi Akhilgov, her attorney, told reporters outside the court that “in our days, a fine for such a charge can be considered an acquittal,” according to the trial monitoring website Mediazona.