Russia: Human rights lawyer Marija Bonzler sentenced to long prison

A court in Kaliningrad, Russia, has sentenced Russian lawyer Marija Bonzler to twelve years in prison for alleged treason. The Russian human rights organization OVD-Info and Novaya Gazeta Europe report this unanimously. The trial against Bonzler took place behind closed doors; neither she nor her lawyers were admitted to the final days of the session. Bonzler was only present when the verdict was announced.

Bonzler had represented people in trials who were labeled as traitors or terrorists by the Russian security authorities. Among other things, she made it known that the Russian domestic secret service FSB had manipulated evidence against clients and used torture (you can read a written interview with Marija Bonzler here). In May 2025, she finally became a target of the Russian justice system and was taken away from her apartment in Kaliningrad.

Officially, the authorities accused her of having transmitted information via Telegram to an alleged employee of the Ukrainian secret service SBU. She denies this. Her defense attorneys pointed out that this information had already become public in court hearings. In fact, Bonzler is being persecuted because of her work as an FSB lawyer.

Bonzler had already complained about significant health problems during the trial. At the time, she wrote to SPIEGEL about "constant dizziness, nausea until she fainted, shortness of breath and severe pain in the heart area."

After the verdict was announced, she reportedly commented again about her condition. »My health is terrible, my legs are paralyzed. I'm afraid it will end badly for me," she is quoted as saying. Convicting an innocent person is a “terrible crime,” she said to the court. “Therefore I will pray for my executioners, that the Lord may have mercy on them.”

In Russia, only a few defense attorneys are willing to represent opposition members and those whom the Putin regime is persecuting as “traitors” and “terrorists.” The lawyer Marija Bonzler still helped them. Read more about her work here.