Russia Woman Convicted Over 'Death to Putin' Note on His Parents Grave
A Russian woman who left an insulting note on the grave of Putin's parents was convicted Thursday.
The note, left last October, called Putin a "freak and a killer," per the Associated Press.
She was given a two-year suspended sentence for politically-motivated descration of the grave.
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A Russian woman who called President Vladimir Putin a "freak" in a note she left on his parents' grave was convicted on Thursday of desecrating the site, according to multiple reports.
The note, left by 60-year-old Irina Tsybaneva last October, read: "Parents of a maniac, take him to your place."
It continued: "He causes so much pain and trouble. The whole world prays for his death. Death to Putin. You raised a freak and a killer," according to the Associated Press.
Tsybaneva was given a two-year suspended sentence for the crime of desecrating a burial place in a manner motivated by political hatred, per the AP. She may not leave the city or move house for two years without notifying authorities, according to Russian newspaper Kommersant.
Although she didn't challenge the facts of the case, Tsybaneva declined to plead guilty because she said she hadn't harmed the grave, the paper reported.
She said she intended the note to be secret, concealing it in the grass, the paper earlier reported.
Tsybaneva told prosecutors that it was a spontaneous action prompted by news reports about the potential for nuclear war, independent Russian news outlet Mediazona reported.
She was put under house arrest for a month, and then barred from leaving the St Petersburg area and from using a phone or the internet ahead of the trial, Russian news outlet Current Time reported.
The case comes amid a crackdown on public dissent launched by Putin since the beginning of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine last year.
Laws on disparaging the military — generally understood by critics as meaning censure of the war — now come with the threat of fines and years of imprisonment.
Source: Business Insider
