Alexey Gorinov, the first person jailed in Russia for ‘disinformation,’ gets new three-year-sentence for ‘justifying terrorism’
A Russian military court has sentenced former Moscow municipal deputy Alexey Gorinov to three years in prison on fresh charges of “justifying terrorism.”
In 2022, Gorinov was sentenced to seven years for spreading “disinformation” about the military, becoming the first known person in Russia to face jail time for these charges. Instead of adding the new sentence to his existing term, the court ruled on Friday that Gorinov will serve five more years in total, though in a maximum-security facility.
The new “justifying terrorism” charges stem from comments Gorinov allegedly made to fellow inmates about the 2022 bombing of the Crimean Bridge and the actions of Ukraine’s Azov and Kraken regiments, both of which are classified as terrorist organizations in Russia. Gorinov maintains that he was provoked into discussing politics by his fellow prisoners, and insists nothing he said could be reasonably interpreted as justifying terrorism.
At Gorinov’s trial, prosecution witnesses recounted their conversations with him using identical wording, according to Mediazona. Novaya Gazeta co-founder and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Dmitry Muratov reported that prison administrators had planted inmates with hidden microphones in Gorinov’s cell, instructing them to engage him in political discussions and record the conversations. Gorinov himself also mentioned the presence of a “microphone.”
Gorinov’s trial began on November 27. He arrived at the first hearing with a sign reading, “Stop killing. Stop the war.”
On the day the verdict was issued, Gorinov revealed that the prison administration had classified him as a person inclined to commit acts of terrorism. He had already been labeled as being at risk for attempting to escape or suicide.
During his imprisonment, Gorinov’s health deteriorated significantly; he was receiving treatment for pneumonia when he made the remarks that led to his new sentence.
Lawyer Mikhail Biryukov, a friend of Gorinov’s who testified in the case, said after one of the hearings that he was “struck” by the sight of the former deputy and that he “looked very bad,” though he added that Gorinov “remains very upbeat.”
