Maria Menshikova. Photo: DOXA

The former editor of Russian independent media outlet DOXA was sentenced in absentia to seven years in prison by a Moscow court for two posts encouraging letter-writing to political prisoners, digital rights organisation Net Freedoms Project (NFP) reported on Monday

Maria Menshikova was found guilty of justifying terrorism online for the two posts on popular Russian social media platform VK from the summer of 2022 and sentenced to 3.5 years in prison for each. She was also banned from administering websites for four years, according to NFP.

In the posts in question, Menshikova had suggested subscribers write to three Russian men convicted of setting fire to military enlistment offices, and three Belarusian men who were found guilty by a court in the southeastern city of Homyel of setting fire to a relay box at a railway station, NFP continued.

The experts used by the investigation found in Menshikova’s posts “a set of linguistic and psychological signs” expressing “disagreement with the public and legal assessment” of the prisoners’ actions “by presenting them as persons who need help, support, and encouragement”, NFP added. The case against Menshikova was opened in April of last year.

Menshikova lives outside Russia and was tried in absentia. DOXA was designated “undesirable” in January.