Zhanna Nemtsova sentenced in absentia to four years in a colony

In-absentia verdict

The Zamoskvoretsky District Court of Moscow has sentenced Zhanna Nemtsova, the daughter of politician Boris Nemtsov, in absentia to four years of imprisonment in a general-regime colony in a case concerning the organization of the activities of a foreign structure designated as undesirable in Russia. This was reported by Life.ru. According to the text of the verdict, the sentence is considered in absentia, and its term will begin to run from the moment the convicted person is detained on the territory of the Russian Federation or extradited. In addition to imprisonment, the court banned Nemtsova from administering internet resources for eight years.

Circumstances of the case

The case is connected with the Boris Nemtsov Foundation for Freedom, registered in Germany, which the Russian authorities added to the list of undesirable organizations in April 2024. In early October, the city prosecutor's office approved the indictment and sent the case materials to court; at that time Nemtsova was outside Russia and had been placed on a wanted list, as the outlet reported citing the referral of the case to court. Since the convicted person remains abroad, the in-absentia verdict in effect means that actual enforcement of the sentence is possible only if she is detained in Russia or extradited — this practical point follows directly from the wording of the verdict.