Become famous after her irruption live on television with a sign criticizing the offensive of Moscow in Ukraine, the Russian journalist Marina Ovsiannikova was arrested this Sunday in Russia, indicated her entourage and her lawyer. No official statement has been made on the reasons for his arrest, but it comes a few days after the criticism of the journalist.
On her Telegram account, the entourage of the 44-year-old woman indicates: “Marina has been arrested. There is no information on her whereabouts. In addition to this message, three photos of the journalist appear in this post, in which we see her being taken to a white van by two police officers after having apparently been stopped while she was traveling on her bicycle.
His lawyer, Dmitri Zakhvatov, confirmed the arrest to the Ria-Novosti news agency, saying he did not know where his client was taken. “I assume it is related in some way to his act of protest,” he added. On Friday, Ms Ovsiannikova posted images of her holding up a sign near the Kremlin evoking the death of Ukrainian children and calling Vladimir Putin a “killer”.
The charges could expose him to criminal charges for publishing “false information” and “vilification” of the military, charges that carry heavy prison sentences. Last March, the journalist became world famous after appearing in full newspaper on the set of a pro-Kremlin channel for which she worked.
She then held up a sign criticizing the offensive in Ukraine and the “propaganda” of the media controlled by the power. Briefly detained in the process, she was released with a fine to pay. Images of her gesture have gone around the world, with many people hailing the courage of the journalist.