Russia: Ex-reporter jailed for 22 years on treason charges

MOSCOW (AP) — A court in Moscow has found a former journalist guilty of treason and sentenced him to 22 years in a maximum security prison, concluding a trial that has been widely seen as politically motivated. The sentence handed to Ivan Safronov Monday is among the harshest moves against Russian independent journalists and Kremlin critics, who have faced mounting pressure in recent years. Safronov worked as a defense and space reporter for a decade before becoming an adviser to the head of the Russian space corporation Roscosmos. Safronov was accused of passing military secrets to Czech intelligence, and information about the Russian military to a German national. The former journalist insisted on his innocence.