Moscow court sentences journalist Andrei Soldatov to four years

A Moscow court has sentenced journalist Andrei Soldatov in absentia to four years in a general-regime penal colony, according to TASS.

Soldatov, 50, was found guilty of failing to fulfil obligations under Russia’s foreign agent law and participating in activities of an “undesirable” organisation, the Moscow Prosecutor’s Office said.

The charges include Part 2 of Article 330.1 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (evading duties under foreign agent legislation) and Part 1 of Article 284.1 (participating in the activities of a foreign or international organisation designated as undesirable in Russia).

In addition, the court barred Soldatov for four years from activities involving website administration or work with electronic and information-telecommunication networks, including the internet.