CONVICTION – Four activists have been found guilty of conspiracy to act as undeclared agents of Russia. They face up to five years in prison.
Four American black rights activists were convicted Thursday of conspiring to act as undeclared agents of Russia, the Justice Department said. They face up to five years in prison, though no date for sentencing has been set. The verdict was handed down in a court in Tampa, Florida.
The defendants include Omali Yeshitela, 82, founder of the African People’s Socialist Party (APSP) and the Uhuru Movement, as well as Penny Hess, 78, Jesse Nevel, 34, and Augustus Romain, 38. Originally indicted in 2023, the defendants were not convicted of the more serious charge of acting as an agent of a foreign government, which could have carried up to 10 years in prison.
A case of “freedom of expression”
Penny Hess’s lawyer Leonard Goodman told local media that his clients were being prosecuted because of their pro-Russian views and that the case was about “freedom of speech.” But prosecutors say the defendants accepted money and support from the head of the Russian Anti-Globalization Movement (RAM), Alexander Ionov, between 2015 and 2022.
Alexander Ionov is known for having organized a confe(…) - 20minutes
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