MOSCOW, 28 Mar. (DPA/EP) –
A Russian court has sentenced this Tuesday to two years in prison the father of a girl who made drawings in her school in favor of peace in Ukraine, accused in turn of publishing messages on social networks in which he contradicted the official position of the Kremlin about the invasion of the neighboring country.
The 54-year-old man, who was exclusively in charge of his daughter, had alleged that he had not published these messages, although he remains in search and capture after he managed to escape from house arrest before the sentence was made official.
In fact, the courtroom in southern Moscow where the trial was held broke into applause when the news of his escape was released.
The case has become a symbol of the restrictions on freedom of expression in Russia after it emerged that the man had already been fined when his daughter’s teachers called the police about the drawings of the minor, which he was 12 years old when the events occurred.
The girl was supposed to make a painting in favor of the Russian Armed Forces, but instead drew the flags of Russia and Ukraine along with the messages: “No to war” and “Glory to Ukraine.” It was after this case came to light on the Internet when the Russian authorities began the legal proceedings that led to the sentence on Tuesday.
