Safronov, a former defense journalist for the Kommersant and Vedomosti newspapers, was tried on secret evidence. However, case files disclosed by Proekt showed that much of the case against him came from public data in his articles and alleged links to foreigners that were not substantiated by evidence. But a panel of judges reached a swift decision in the case, which his lawyer said would send a chilling effect through Russian journalism and showed that “for good, legitimate journalism, you can go to prison for a long time.” Safronov looked straight ahead as the judge sentenced him to 22 years in prison and two more years of rigorous probation when he is released, possibly in 2042, given the time he had already served. As court adjourned, his supporters, many of whom were journalists present to cover the trial, began to applaud in support of him. “I will write to everyone. Keep writing to me. I love you!” he said from the glass cage where defendants are held in Russian courtrooms. Moments later, Safronov, who was dressed in a black vest and gray sweatpants, walked away. “You can all burn [in hell]” his fiancee told the remaining bailiffs in the room, according to a Mediazona correspondent. Safronov was under enormous pressure to confess during the investigation. At a final hearing, a prosecutor suggested he be sentenced to 12 years in prison if he confessed. He refused and the prosecution asked for 24 years in prison. “He told them to get lost,” Evgeny Smirnov, Safronov’s lawyer, told the Guardian. Hundreds of people attended the hearing. Some cried and hugged in the hallways and on the street outside after the verdict was read. As the courtroom cleared, one reporter interrupted another by asking about the details of the sentence: “I don’t know. I listened for 22 years and stopped listening.” Russian officials claimed they caught Safronov “discovering and collecting secret and top secret information … including Russia’s military and technical cooperation with Collective Security Treaty Organization member states, as well as countries in the Middle East, Africa and Balkans”. The defense said it was believed to have been targeted for revealing details of the potential sale of 20 Su-35 fighter jets to Egypt in a failed deal that prompted the Egyptian military leadership to protest to Russia. “The case of Ivan Safronov is one of the most closed and strangest cases in recent Russian judicial history,” said Katerina Gordeeva, a journalist who made a short film about the case. In an interview, Safronov’s mother told her: “It won’t break. It has a hard core. He can handle it.” Archie Bland and Nimo Omer take you to the top stories and what they mean, free every weekday morning Privacy Notice: Newsletters may contain information about charities, online advertising and content sponsored by external parties. For more information, see our Privacy Policy. We use Google reCaptcha to protect our website and Google’s Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. Most of Russia’s independent media signed a public statement calling for Safronov’s release. “We believe this decision is unfair and politically motivated. Journalism is not a crime.” In a final statement to the court before his sentencing, Safronov said: “The whole world will see that they want to put a journalist in prison for writing articles. To pass a guilty verdict is to end the issue of free speech for a long time, if not forever, because there will be no speech, freedom. “If I am destined to sit in prison, then I will serve my sentence with honor and dignity.”
