IMI expert Zemliana sentenced in absentia to 13 years in prison in Russia: Moscow accuses her of throwing juice at ambassador
The Moscow City Court of the Russian Federation sentenced Iryna Zemliana, a media expert at the Institute of Mass Information, in absentia to 13 years in a general regime colony in a case involving an alleged "attack" on Sergey Andreyev, the Russian ambassador to Poland.
As reported by Censor.NET, this was announced by the Institute of Mass Information.
Details
The verdict was announced on March 10. Zemlyana was found guilty under three articles of the Russian Criminal Code: attacking a representative of a foreign state with the aim of complicating international relations, inciting hatred and hostility through the use of violence, and spreading so-called "fake news" about the Russian army.
According to the Russian prosecutor's office, on May 9, 2022, during a wreath-laying ceremony at the Soviet military cemetery in Warsaw, Zemliana, along with "other unidentified individuals," allegedly attacked the Russian ambassador. The investigation claims that the diplomat was splashed with red liquid and had his glasses and St. George's ribbon torn off.
In addition, she was charged with spreading "fake news" through two social media posts about crimes committed by Russian military personnel in Ukraine, published in 2022–2024.
Zemliana herself previously stated that she did not pour liquid on the ambassador and denies all accusations. According to her, during the protest, she only poured beet juice on herself, which symbolized the blood of Ukrainians dying because of Russia's war against Ukraine.
The media expert emphasizes that the criminal case against her has been fabricated. She also noted that Polish law enforcement agencies did not find her guilty in this incident.
On March 4, 2024, the Basmanny District Court of Moscow arrested Zemliana in absentia in this case. In a comment to the Institute of Mass Information, she stated that the verdict was politically motivated.
"It is obvious that this verdict is a political signal, not real justice. The case is completely fabricated—you only need to look at the video and photos to understand that I did not do this. Moreover, the Polish law enforcement system acquitted me," Zemliana said.
She added that such in absentia verdicts are an attempt to pressure and intimidate journalists and activists.
Iryna Zemliana was declared wanted in Russia back in November 2022 after an incident in Warsaw, when a group of protesters doused the Russian ambassador with red liquid as he attempted to lay flowers at the Cemetery-Mausoleum of Soviet Soldiers.
In June 2023, the Polish prosecutor's office suspended the investigation into the incident and found Zemliana not guilty.
In February 2024, Russia also added the media expert to the list of "terrorists and extremists" maintained by the Federal Financial Monitoring Service of the Russian Federation.
