Olga Komleva has been sentenced to 12 years in prison for her past volunteer work with Navalny’s banned party.
A Russian court has sentenced journalist Olga Komleva to 12 years in prison on “extremism” charges over her links to an opposition group, as the Kremlin intensifies its crackdown on dissent.
On Tuesday, Komleva, 46, was found guilty of “extremist” ties for her past volunteer work with the late opposition leader Alexey Navalny’s banned political party and for allegedly spreading false information about the Russian army in her reporting on the war in Ukraine.
The verdict underscores Moscow’s expanding repression, which now targets not only active critics but also those who were once affiliated with opposition groups.
Independent outlet Mediazona reported that Komleva had volunteered for Navalny’s party before it was outlawed in 2021. She later worked for the independent media outlet RusNews, covering antigovernment protests and Russia’s military assault on Ukraine.
