Paris prosecutors have opened an investigation into the suspected poisoning of a Russian journalist who made headlines last year when she brandished an anti-Ukraine war slogan on state television.
Marina Ovsiannikova reportedly told police that she felt unwell when she opened the door to her Paris apartment Thursday and noticed a powder substance. Forensic police were sent to examine her home.
Paris-based Reporters Without Borders (RSF) secretary general Christophe Deloire reported on social media that the journalist was feeling better by the afternoon but was still under medical supervision.
Late last year, the international non-profit played a crucial role in facilitating the safe exit of the 44-year-old journalist along with her 12-year-old daughter from Russia. This came about when she fled the country out of fear for their lives.
A reporter at the Perviy Kanal television channel, Ovsiannikova became an instant pariah in Russia in March 2022 when she appeared behind a news anchor on screen brandishing a placard about the Ukraine war, bearing the words: “Stop the war, don’t believe the propaganda, they are lying to you here.”
Just last week, a court in Moscow sentenced Ovsiannikova to 8 1/2-years in prison in absentia for protesting the war.
In 2022, Russia passed a law under which anyone it deems to have spread “false” information on the war in Ukraine can face up to 15 years in prison.
Critics of the Kremlin, who hold prominent positions, have been sentenced to extended periods of imprisonment, leading to the blocking of independent news platforms and the departure of independent journalists from the nation due to concerns of legal consequences.
Among the most prominent dissidents jailed in Russia is opposition leader Alexey Navlany, whom a Russian court convicted of promoting “extremism,” extending his already-lengthy time in prison by 19 years.
After accusing the Kremlin, Navalny underwent a five-month recovery in Germany from a poisoning incident, a claim that Russian officials consistently denied.
- In:
- Ukraine
- Russia
- France
