World · Europe · 11 hrs ago
Russian Court Sentences Rights Lawyer Maria Bontsler to 12 Years
A Russian court sentenced rights lawyer Maria Bontsler to 12 years in prison for treason on Thursday.
The 66-year-old worked with people facing politically sensitive criminal cases in Kaliningrad, a Russian exclave between Lithuania and Poland.
Prosecutors accused her of passing information to Ukraine about security officers and criminal cases, saying she gathered it while representing defendants.
Bontsler’s lawyers argued the information was public, not secret, and she denied the charges.
The trial was held behind closed doors, and Bontsler and her lawyers were barred from attending hearings, according to a rights group.
The case adds to concerns about pressure on defence lawyers in Russia, where courts have also jailed lawyers who represented political figures.
The court also imposed a further year of restrictions on her activities; the sources give no information about an appeal or other next steps.
A court in Russia’s Kaliningrad region sentenced human rights lawyer Maria Bontsler to 12 years in a penal colony for treason.
Prosecutors accused Bontsler of passing information about security officers and criminal cases to Ukraine.
Bontsler denied the charges, and her lawyers said the information was public.
Her trial was held behind closed doors, and she and her lawyers were barred from attending hearings.
- Who
- Maria Bontsler, a 66-year-old human rights lawyer.
- What
- She was sentenced to 12 years in a penal colony for treason.
- When
- Thursday; the sources were published on November 12, 2026.
- Where
- Kaliningrad, Russia.
- Why
- Prosecutors accused her of passing information about FSB officers and criminal cases to Ukraine. Bontsler denied the charges.
Russian prosecutors
Maria Bontsler and her lawyers
Alleged information sharing
Russian prosecutors
Prosecutors accused Bontsler of passing information about FSB officers and criminal cases to Ukraine.
Maria Bontsler and her lawyers
Bontsler denied the charges, and her lawyers said the information was public.
Purpose of prosecution
Russian prosecutors
Prosecutors brought treason charges over the alleged transfer of information.
Maria Bontsler and her lawyers
Bontsler said the case stemmed from her human rights and legal work and was a political reprisal.
Bontsler was arrested in Kaliningrad on charges of confidential cooperation with a foreign state, according to The Moscow Times.
A court in Kaliningrad sentenced Bontsler to 12 years in prison for treason.
- Sentence
- 12 years in a penal colony
- Defendant
- Maria Bontsler, 66
- Court location
- Kaliningrad, Russia
- Prosecutors’ request
- 15 years, according to Slovo Zashchite
- Trial
- Held behind closed doors
3 sources
What people are saying
My administrative and criminal prosecution stems from my professional work in human rights advocacy and legal practice — specifically, from providing qualified legal assistance to dissidents, members of the opposition, and others,
This is, in effect, a political reprisal against me,