Russian court sentences lawyer Maria Bontsler to 12 years for treason

A court in Kaliningrad, Russia, sentenced human rights lawyer Maria Bontsler to 12 years in a penal colony for treason on 12 November. The Moscow Times said the legal rights project Slovo Zashite disclosed the sentence.

Bontsler was detained on 28 May 2025, initially on a charge of confidential cooperation with a foreign state. She was remanded in custody the following day, and the charge was upgraded to treason in early March 2026.

The accusation and defense

Prosecutors accused Bontsler of passing Ukrainian intelligence information about Federal Security Service officers who investigated espionage, treason and terrorism cases. They alleged she obtained it while representing defendants in those cases.

Bontsler denied the charges. Her lawyers said all the information she was accused of passing on was public and had been disclosed in open court hearings.

In her final statement to the court, Bontsler called her prosecution political retaliation for her human rights and legal work, including her assistance to dissidents and opposition members. The human rights group Memorial considers her a political prisoner.

Since the war began, Bontsler has defended Kaliningrad residents who took part in protests. She also represented Igor Baryshnikov. In 1995, she founded and led the Kaliningrad Region Committee of Soldiers' Mothers, which defended conscripts, service members and their parents.

Closed hearings

The trial was held behind closed doors, and Bontsler and independent lawyers were barred from attending hearings. The Kaliningrad Regional Court confirmed an account that her defense lawyers were removed after they refused to sign clearance for access to state secrets.

Bontsler said she suffered health problems during the trial, including cardiac arrest for which she did not receive adequate treatment.