Lawyer Maria Buntzler was sentenced to 12 years in a treason case.
The verdict was handed down by the regional court in Kaliningrad, reports the human rights project Mila La Hagana. The prosecution requested a five-year prison sentence for Buntzler.
According to the researchers, in 2024, Bunzler was supposed to collect data on security forces "identifying and investigating" criminal cases against people "collaborating with an unfriendly country." In addition, it was claimed in the investigation that the lawyer transferred information about criminal cases to "special services of an unfriendly country", which she received "through her practice as a lawyer".
Initially, Bunzler was arrested on charges of collaboration with a foreign country, but the case was later reclassified as treason.
65-year-old Maria Bunzler is known for defending defendants in political cases in Kaliningrad. During her stay at the pre-trial detention center, her health deteriorated significantly; Her defense said Bunzler "almost died in the isolation ward" because of the inconsistency of the medications she was prescribed.
We wrote more about Maria Bunzler here.
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