“Echo of Moscow in Pskov” was fined 150 thousand rubles for the journalist’s statements about the explosion in the reception room of the Arkhangelsk FSB Directorate

The magistrate of court district No. 32 in Pskov imposed a fine of 150 thousand rubles on the radio station “Echo of Moscow in Pskov” for statements by journalist Svetlana Prokopyeva about the explosion in the reception room of the FSB directorate in the Arkhangelsk region, the radio station’s editor-in-chief Maxim Kostikov told Mediazona.

Judge Ekaterina Efremova found Ekho Moskvy in Pskov liable under Part 6 of Article 13.15 of the Administrative Code (production or release of media products containing public calls for terrorism or justifying terrorism).

Kostikov noted that the court did not include or examine the examinations carried out by two specialists at the request of the radio station. At the same time, the judge also refused to exclude representatives of Echo of Moscow in Pskov from the case from the linguistic examination of the Radio Frequency Center, which found justification for terrorism in the journalist’s statements. As Kostikov emphasized, this organization is subordinate to Roskomnadzor, which issued a warning to the local Echo for the same broadcast back in December 2018.

Earlier today, security forces came to search Svetlana Prokopyeva herself. She became a suspect in a criminal case for justifying terrorism (Part 2 of Article 205.2 of the Criminal Code) because of her appearance on Echo. Under this article, she faces from five to seven years in prison.