Bashkortostan Activist Sentenced to 12 Years Over Navalny Affiliation and Fake News Charges

A judge in Bashkortostan sentenced a journalist and activist to 12 years in prison due to her previous connections with Alexei Navalny’s banned political group and for disseminating “false information” about the Russian military.

Rafis Nabiyev, a judge at the Kirov District Court in Ufa, declared Olga Komleva, 46, guilty of participating in an “extremist” organization and spreading “misinformation” regarding the nation’s armed forces, as reported by the exiled news outlet Mediazona.

Earlier this month, prosecutors sought a 13-year prison term for Komleva. The specifics of the allegations against her remain unclear since the trial was conducted behind closed doors.

Komleva was taken into custody in March 2024. She had volunteered with Navalny’s Anti-Corruption Foundation (FBK) for several years until the group was labeled as “extremist” in 2021, according to Mediazona. Law enforcement had previously arrested her at pro-Navalny protests and she faced multiple fines.

In addition to her activism, she worked as a journalist for the independent news organization RusNews, where she reported on a series of protests in Bashkortostan last year.

Komleva had also been placed on Russia’s list of “terrorists and extremists” and classified as a “foreign agent.”