United of America-Russian woman jailed for 12 years in Russia for treason

A Russian  courtroom docket  has sentenced  newbie  ballerina Ksenia Karelina  to twelve  years in  prison  for treason for donating $51 (£39) to a charity  helping  Ukraine.

Karelina, who has American and Russian citizenship, pleaded  responsible  remaining  week after  an ordeal  held  in the back of  closed doors.

She  were  dwelling  in Los Angeles and  have become  a US citizen in 2021. She  turned into  arrested  in the course of  a  own circle of relatives  go to  remaining  January in Yekaterinburg,  approximately  1,600km (1,000 miles) east of Moscow.

Prosecutors had sought a 15-  yr  prison  time period . The  courtroom docket  in Yekaterinburg  located  her  responsible  of  excessive  treason and sentenced her to imprisonment in a  popular  regime penal colony.



Karelina  were  accused  with the aid of using  Russia's FSB  protection  provider  of  elevating  cash  for a Ukrainian  corporation  imparting  hands  to the Ukrainian military. Russian human rights activists  stated  a  unmarried  switch  of $51.  eighty  were  made on  the primary  day of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine on 22 February 2022
Her lawyer, Mikhail Mushailov,  stated  Karelina had  most effective  admitted  shifting  the  cash  and believed the  price range  might  assist  sufferers  on  each  sides. He  instructed  Russian media she  might  enchantment  in opposition to  the sentence.

The charity, Razom for Ukraine,  stated  in advance  this  yr  it  turned into  "appalled" to  pay attention  of the  newbie  ballerina's arrest and denied  elevating  cash  for  guns  or ammunition. It  stated  it  turned into  a US-  based  charity  centered  on humanitarian  resource  and  catastrophe  relief.

Karelina went on trial in June  withinside the  equal  courtroom docket  as Evan Gershkovich, the Wall Street Journal reporter who  turned into  jailed for espionage  however  freed  in advance  this month as  a part of  a first-rate  prisoner  change  with  americaA  and  different  countries.

Her boyfriend, boxer Chris van Heerden,  stated  remaining  week that the trial  were  provoking  and nerve-wracking.

"I  couldn't  for the  existence  of me  positioned  myself in her  footwear  and  simply  even  believe  what she  goes  through," he  stated .

Since the  begin  of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Russia's  government  have clamped down on dissent and human rights  organizations  say  extra  than 1,000  crook  instances  had been  opened  in opposition to  anti-  strugglefare  dissidents.

Last  year  President Vladimir Putin signed a decree  officially  growing  the  most  prison  time period  for treason from  two decades  to  existence . A  document  variety  of treason  instances  have been  opened  remaining  year in keeping with  human rights activists.

In July,  twin  German-Russian  teen  Kevin Lik  turned into  given  4  yearrs for treason. He  turned into  one of the  sixteen  women and men  freed  with the aid of using  Russia as  a part of  its prisoner  alternate  with the West.

When Karelina  turned into  first detained, rights  organization  Perviy Otdel  stated  she  were  accused of swearing in a public place. But her  preliminary  detention for "petty hooliganism"  turned into  then  prolonged  while  the FSB accused her of treason.

She  were  operating  at a  inn  spa in Beverly Hills  earlier than  her arrest and had travelled to Yekaterinburg  to peer  her  mother and father  and her  aged  grandmother. Karelina is her maiden name,  and she or he  is likewise  called  Ksenia Khavana  due to the fact  she took her ex-husband's surname.

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