Doctor Sentenced to 5.5 Years in Prison for Comments Made During Treatment of Boy
A doctor in Russia has been sentenced to 5.5 years in prison for comments she made while treating a boy. The doctor, Nadezhda Buyanova, was arrested in February on charges of spreading false information about the Russian armed forces.
The case against Dr. Buyanova began when the mother of the 7-year-old boy she had been treating reported her to police. The mother claimed that the doctor made negative remarks about the boy’s father, who was killed in Ukraine. She also said that the doctor said Russian servicemen were legitimate targets.
Dr. Buyanova denies making these comments. There is no audio or video recording to prove them. Despite this, she has been sentenced to 5.5 years in prison.
The sentence was given out of sight from the public and journalists. When the news got out, Dr. Buyanova’s supporters were shocked and outraged. One supporter called the sentence “monstrously harsh”. Another said it was an example of how Russia is using its laws to silence criticism of the war in Ukraine.
Dr. Buyanova is one of many people who have been arrested or punished for speaking out against the Russian government‘s actions. The law she was charged under is just one of many harsh pieces of legislation that has been adopted since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Its aim is to stop people from criticizing the war.
The imprisonment of a Moscow pediatrician like Dr. Buyanova shows how far-reaching this repression can be. It’s not just soldiers and politicians who are being targeted, but ordinary people too.