Two criminal cases, the first one on “fake news” about the Russian army and the second on justifying terrorism, have been initiated against 55-year-old resident of Russia’s Petrozavodsk Elena Schelupanova, human rights project OVD-Info reports, citing the materials of the Second Western District Military Court.
She could face up to ten years of imprisonment in regards to the first case and up to seven years in regards to the second one. The cases were filed on 19 January.
In September 2022, the 55-year-old woman was put on the list of terrorists and extremists compiled by Russia’s Federal Financial Monitoring Service. According to OVD-Info, she was arrested for five days in April 2021 after having posted on social media about a rally in support of politician Alexey Navalny.
Schelupanova became the second person from the city of Petrozavodsk charged under articles on justifying terrorism and spreading “fake news”, OVD-Info notes. In December, Irina Bystrova, an art studio director from Petrozavodsk, was fined 600,000 rubles (€7,800) under these articles. The court hearing was held behind closed doors.
