A critical Russian journalist of the invasion of Ukraine takes refuge in France
She escaped by thinking of singer Brassens and actor Pierre Richard: Russian film criticism Ekaterina Barabach, who risked up to ten years in prison in her country for having denounced the war in Ukraine, fled for France thanks to the help of reporters without borders (RSF).
“I left my 96 -year -old mother telling myself that I will never see her again. But it was better not to see her by being free rather than not seeing her because of the prison, “said 64 -year -old journalist on Monday at a press conference at the RSF headquarters in Paris.
Accused of “false information”
The “adventure” of his escape lasted two and a half weeks but Ms. Barabach, who was expressed in English, did not reveal the details of her journey, for security reasons. “Now I am here and it will not be easy to start a new life,” continued the journalist, thanking everyone who helped her in her flight, including RSF and Russians in exile. She now requests political asylum in France.
The Russian federal prison service announced on April 21 that it was placed on the list of people wanted. Ekaterina Barabach had disappeared from her home on April 13, when she was under house arrest as part of an investigation for disseminating “false information” on the Russian army. This measure had been ordered by a Moscow court after its arrest at the end of February.
