Sofya Rozenfeld

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Russian ornithologist sentenced to prison over $27 anticorruption donation

Sentenced to 3.5 years in a penal colony; being held at Moscow's Pechatniki pretrial detention center; appeal pending

Moscow's Gagarinsky District Court sentenced Sofya Rozenfeld, a 50-year-old ornithologist and leading Arctic waterfowl specialist, to three and a half years in a penal colony. Her crime: two donations of 1,000 rubles each, about $27 total, to the Anti-Corruption Foundation (FBK) founded by the late opposition leader Alexei Navalny.

Updated Oct 14

Notable Quotes

"She says it's just fighting corruption. She has no extremist views and isn't at all connected to politics." — her father Boris, recalling her statement at trial

from Russian ornithologist sentenced to prison over $27 anticorruption donation · Updated Oct 14

"I categorically deny, first, that I share extremist views and, second, that I had any criminal intent. When I decided to start supporting FBK, my sole motivation was to fight corruption." — in court, per Meduza

from Russian ornithologist sentenced to prison over $27 anticorruption donation · Updated Oct 14