A court in Russia’s Kaliningrad sentenced 66-year-old lawyer Maria Bonzler to 12 years in prison on charges of treason. She is to serve her sentence in a standard-regime penal colony, and the sentence also includes one additional year of restricted freedom. The prosecution had sought a 15-year sentence.
According to Russian authorities, Bonzler began cooperating with a representative of the Ukrainian services in 2024. The prosecution claims that she collected and passed on data about Federal Security Service officers who were investigating cases of espionage, treason and terrorism. It was also stated that the lawyer passed information concerning criminal cases that had become known to her in the course of her professional work to the Ukrainian side.
Charges reclassified
Bonzler was detained in May 2025. She was initially charged with confidential cooperation with a foreign state, but the charge was later reclassified as treason. Under Russian law, this is one of the gravest crimes against the state.
Bonzler’s lawyers deny the allegations. They claim that the data for which the prosecution is pursuing her was not classified and had been disclosed in open court hearings. Maria Bonzler was known for her work on cases involving defendants in politically sensitive cases in Kaliningrad.
„My administrative and criminal prosecution stems from my professional work in the field of human rights protection and legal practice. In practice, this is a political reprisal against me,“ Bonzler said in her final statement before the court.The trial was held behind closed doors. According to the human rights project „Slovo za zashtita“ („A Word for the Defense“), cited by Reuters, Bonzler and her lawyers were unable to attend the court hearings, while the defendant was allowed to make only a final statement. She also reported a deterioration in her health during her detention.
Human rights activists describe her as a political prisoner
The human rights organization „Memorial“ considers Bonzler a political prisoner. The group points out that the case is connected to her professional work as a lawyer and her defense of opposition activists and other defendants in political cases.
The sentence can be appealed, but no public information about any subsequent procedural steps taken by the defense has been provided in the available information.
Sources: internazionale.it, themoscowtimes.com, interfax-russia.ru