Russian journalist convicted of cooperating with a foreign organization and jailed for 4 years

A journalist who once worked as a freelance reporter for the U.S. government-funded Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty was convicted by a court in far eastern Russia of cooperating with a foreign organization and sentenced to four years in prison. Nika Novak was found guilty after a closed trial of cooperating with a representative of a foreign media outlet and being paid to prepare “false materials” to discredit the Russian military and government agencies. The Zabaikalsky Regional Court in the city of Chita said Novak’s actions were aimed at damaging and destabilizing Russia. The human rights organization Memorial has described the 24-year-old Novak as a political prisoner.