<
https://www.theguardian.com/world/article/2024/aug/15/russian-court-jails-us-russian-woman-for-12-years-over-50-charity-donation>
"A Russian court on Thursday sentenced the US-Russian dual national Ksenia
Khavana to 12 years in prison on a treason conviction for allegedly raising
money for the Ukrainian military.
The rights group the First Department said the charges stemmed from a $51 (£40)
donation to a US charity that helps Ukraine.
Khavana, whom Russian authorities identify by her birth name of Karelina, was
arrested in Ekaterinburg in February. She pleaded guilty in her closed trial
last week, news reports said.
Her lawyer, Mikhail Mushailov, said he planned to appeal, adding that Khavana
did not plead guilty to all charges.
“She admitted guilt in part in transferring the funds, but did not admit her
intent to transfer the funds to the organisations where they were most likely
received,” Russia’s Interfax news agency quoted him as saying.
Khavana’s boyfriend, Chris van Heerden, denounced the verdict in an interview
with CBS on Thursday and described how he had bought her airline ticket to
Russia despite being “uncomfortable” about her return home.
“This whole trial is bogus,” he told the network’s
CBS Mornings programme.
“After being sentenced to 12 years, I’m trying to make sense of this.
“She’s an American citizen that made a $51.80 cent donation as an American
citizen in Los Angeles, [to] exercise her first amendment rights. She has done
nothing wrong. The donation was to Ukraine, so she’s been charged with treason
for funding the enemy state.”
He said Khavana had made the donation at a humanitarian event in 2022 in Los
Angeles but was charged under a Russian law passed the following year.
“Why are we in this position? Ksenia should be home, and I’m angry. I’m angry,
and I’m trying to hold my composure … She’s an American citizen making a
donation on American soil, being charged now for 12 years in prison. What is
not wrongful about that?”"
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
