Description
Russian ex-reporter Ivan Safronov's lawyer, Danila Nikiforov, speaks to the press outside Moscow Court after his client is sentenced to 22 years on charges of treason. "Ivan didn’t doubt that he is right, not two years ago, not yesterday and not today even for a second” he says. On Monday, the court jailed respected former defence reporter Safronov for divulging state secrets. He had reported on the military, politics and Russia's space programme, and was arrested in July 2020 after leaving journalism to serve as an adviser to the head of the state space agency. The FSB security service has accused Safronov of collecting confidential information about Russian military, defence and security and handing it over to the intelligence service of a NATO member country. IMAGES AND SOUNDBITES