MOSCOW. Sept 11 (Interfax) - The Second Western District Military Court has found former Russian State Duma member Ilya Ponomaryov (designated as a foreign agent in Russia) guilty of disseminating knowingly false information on the Russian Armed Forces' actions and justifying terrorism and sentenced him to ten years in prison in absentia, an Interfax correspondent reported from the courthouse.
"Ponomaryov is sentenced to ten years in a general-security penitentiary," the sentence says.
The duration of Ponomaryov's conviction will start being counted from the moment he is detained in Russia or extradited to Russia.
The court also banned Ponomaryov from administering webpages for four years.
The court found Ponomaryov guilty of publicly disseminating false information on the Russian Armed Forces' actions based on political hatred and of justifying terrorism.
During the oral presentation of arguments, the prosecution asked the court to sentence Ponomaryov to 14 years in prison, while a state-appointed defense lawyer asked the court to acquit her client due to a lack of evidence.
The Moscow City Prosecutor's Office said it was "established that, while outside of the Russian Federation and motivated by political hatred, Ponomaryov took part in broadcasts on the platform of a video hosting [YouTube] available to an unlimited number of viewers from March 5 to 17, 2022, where he publicly voiced knowingly false information on the use of the Russian Armed Forces and justified terrorist activities."
As reported, Russia is also investigating a case against Ponomaryov on counts of high treason, affiliation with the Freedom of Russia Legion, which is officially designated as a terrorist organization in Russia, and calls for activities damaging Russia's security.
Ponomaryov left Russia in 2014, after a criminal investigation on a count of embezzlement had been opened against him. He obtained Ukrainian citizenship in 2019.
Russia has designated Ponomaryov as a foreign agent, declared him wanted, and issued an arrest warrant for him.