Russian journalist Marina Ovsiannikova, who appeared on TV news last night, has been fined 30,000 rubles (C$350). She was found guilty on Tuesday of having committed an “administrative offence”, reports a journalist from Agence France-Presse present at the hearing.
A photo of Marina Ovsiannikova in court, alongside his lawyer, circulated this Tuesday morning on social networks. The journalist had previously been untraceable, “imprisoned for more than twelve hours” according to one of her lawyers, Pavel Shikov.
Even though Ms. Ovsiannikova has been released, she still faces serious charges. The protester could face up to 15 years in prison under a new Kremlin law prohibiting calling Russia’s military action in Ukraine an “invasion” or publishing “false information” about the conflict.
The employee of the federal channel Pervy Kanal had arisen in full live yesterday, brandishing a sign on which one could read: “No to war. Don’t believe the propaganda. They lie to you here. »
Small disruption in the well-oiled mechanics of Russian state television. During the program “Vremya” (Le temps) of the 1st channel, a producer went behind the presenter’s back with a sign. She was arrested. pic.twitter.com/lVGBw77qcx
— Sylvain Tronchet (@SylvainTronchet) March 14, 2022
His stint on the most-watched newscast in Russia lasted just a few seconds. Chanting “No to war! Stop the war! Marina Ovsiannikova was quickly cut off by the hasty launch of another news bulletin, before being arrested by the police.
Describing the act as “hooliganism”, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Tuesday morning that “the channel and those who have to deal with it, take care of it”.
“Don’t be afraid of anything”
In a pre-recorded video, the one who is the daughter of a Ukrainian father and a Russian mother, explained that she no longer supports the dissemination of “lies” that “zombify” Russians. She then shared her “shame” of participating in “Kremlin propaganda”.
The journalist also called on the people to protest against the war, saying that only they could “stop this madness”. “Don’t be afraid, they can’t imprison all of us,” she said.
Ms. Ovsiannikova worked for several years as an editor for the pro Kremlin channel. Her job was not to write the texts read live, but to translate foreign speeches into Russian, explains Russian journalist Farida Rustamova, who was able to speak with an acquaintance of Marina Ovsiannikova.
Brief but significant, because extremely rare in a country where information is strictly controlled, these few seconds of protest quickly went around the world.
On her Facebook page, Ms Ovsiannikova received thousands of messages of support in English, French, German and Russian, thanking her for her “heroic” act and her “courage”.
On Tuesday morning, French President Emmanuel Macron announced that he was ready to offer consular protection to his embassy in Moscow, a measure that would require Russia’s agreement.