Russian national jailed for sending text message on the movement of military equipment in 2008
Russian citizen Oksana Sevastidi was sentenced to seven years’ imprisonment on charges of high treason. Several text messages were the cause for the criminal prosecution, Meduza reported.
Sevastidi reportedly sent the messages in 2008, shortly before the Georgian war.
Sevastidi texted her friend, who lives in Georgia, that she saw a train with military equipment travelling from Sochi to Abkhazia.
Sevastidi’s lawyer, Ivan Pavlov, discussed his client’s criminal case during his interview with Meduza.
The Krasnodar Regional Court issued a verdict on her case in March 2016. However, there have been no reports on this actual case. When searching for Sevastidi’s surname, Meduza found a case card in the database of the court. However, there was no first name on this card.
The case was presided over by judge Vladimir Kobzev on the 3rd of March 2016.
Pavlov is currently trying to ensure the release of Sevastidi. He noted that the events that preceded the war with Georgia were described in detail in the verdict. In particular, the number of military units as well as the type of equipment that was transferred by railway.
“If we compare the information value and the sensitivity of the information in her text message to her verdict, it would be like comparing a drop of water to an ocean,” Pavlov said.
In November 2014, a citizen of Sochi, Catherine Kharebava, was sentenced to six years’ imprisonment. Kharebava also sent a text message to a friend when she saw the movement of Russian military equipment heading for Abkhazia shortly before the war with Georgia.
The case was also presided over by judge Vladimir Kobzev. According to the prosecution, Kharebava had sent information on the movement of military equipment to a military representative of Georgia and thus disclosed a state secret.
The Russian historical and civil rights society, Memorial, determined that Kharebava was a political prisoner. Human rights activists noted that Russian military equipment was openly moved before the war with Georgia and that many people saw it. Therefore, the information on such movements could not be kept a secret.