A Russian court on Tuesday fined a woman 30,000 roubles ($280) after finding her guilty of flouting protest legislation.
When she interrupted a live news bulletin on state TV and condemned the war in neighbouring Ukraine, the RIA news agency reported. Marina Ovsyannikova, a Channel One employee, was released later after paying the fine.
The mother of two could have faced a maximum punishment of 10 days in detention for calling for illegal protests. She, however, pleaded not guilty of violating demonstration laws.
She had held up a sign behind a studio presenter reading the news on the channel on Monday night and shouted slogans condemning Russia’s invasion of the east-European nation about three weeks ago.
“Stop the war. Don’t believe the propaganda. Here they are lying to you” read the poster she held during an on-air programme by news anchor Yekaterina Andreyeva , Russia’s most-watched evening news broadcast, in Moscow.
According to reports, as Andreyeva started speaking about relations with Belarus, Ovsyannikova, who wore a dark formal suit, burst into view, holding up a hand-written poster saying “No War” in English.
Earlier in the day, the United Nations’ human rights office called on Russian authorities to ensure Ovsyannikova, who was also reportedly missing at the time, was not punished for exercising her right to free speech.
Ravina Shamdasani, the UN’s human rights spokesperson, said officials in Moscow should ensure she “does not face reprisals for exercising her right to freedom of expression”.