In recent Russian court has sentenced lawyer Dmitry Talantov to seven years in prison after convicting him of spreading false information about the Russian army and “inciting hatred.” The 63-year-old’s conviction stems from several Facebook posts in which he condemned the actions of Russian soldiers in Ukraine, referring to them as “extreme Nazi practices,” according to Mediazona, a news outlet designated as a “foreign agent” by Russian authorities.
Talantov denied the charges, and the court in Udmurtia, east of Moscow, confirmed his conviction on Thursday. His defense attorney was not immediately available for comment, and it remains unclear if Talantov intends to appeal the verdict.
Russian authorities have long maintained that the country must remain unified against what they claim is an existential threat from the West, casting critics of the military as traitors or “fifth-columnists.”
The United Nations Special Rapporteur on human rights, Mariana Katzarova, called for Talantov’s immediate release, stating that his prosecution for peacefully expressing dissent violated international human rights law. “Talantov must be released immediately and exonerated of all criminal responsibility,” Katzarova said, adding that such acts of non-violent protest should be protected under international law.
Talantov, who was arrested in June 2022, had previously served as president of the bar association in Udmurtia. He had also been legal counsel for Ivan Safronov, a former military affairs reporter who was sentenced to 22 years in prison on treason charges in September 2022 for allegedly passing confidential information to Western intelligence agencies. Supporters of Safronov believe his conviction was retaliation for his investigative reporting on Russia’s arms trade.
Katzarova criticized Talantov’s trial as part of a broader pattern of repression in Russia against legal professionals. Two other lawyers who previously represented Safronov, Ivan Pavlov and Yevgeny Smirnov, fled the country after facing criminal investigations linked to their defense of the reporter.
As Russia tightens its control over dissent, Talantov’s conviction signals a growing crackdown on those who challenge the government’s stance on the war in Ukraine.
