Kaliningrad Lawyer Sentenced to 12 Years for Treason
By the age of 12, Maria Bonczler, a lawyer for political prisoners, was sentenced to imprisonment for 'state treason'. Kaliningrad Regional Court Judge Alexander Marochkin sentenced the 66-year-old lawyer to 12 years in prison under the article on state treason; the prosecution had requested 15 years.
Consensus
- Maria Bonzler was sentenced to 12 years in prison by the Kaliningrad Regional Court.
- The trial was conducted in a closed session.
- The prosecution had requested a 15-year sentence.
- Bonzler was detained in May 2025.
- The case was initially filed under Article 275.1 of the Russian Criminal Code (confidential cooperation with a foreign entity) and later reclassified to Article 275 (treason) in March 2026.
- Bonzler was accused of providing information about FSB officers involved in investigations into espionage, treason, terrorism, and cooperation with foreign states.
- The information allegedly shared pertained to cases she defended, including those involving political prisoners.
- Bonzler's defense argued that the information was not classified and was publicly available during open court sessions.
- Bonzler's health deteriorated in pre-trial detention, with reports of cardiac arrest, hypertensive crises, and lack of medical care.
- The court did not allow her to participate in the trial process beyond delivering her final statement.
- Her defense attorneys were removed from the case due to disputes over access to classified materials.
- The court-appointed defender was later dismissed by Bonzler, and she was represented by a state-appointed attorney.
Points of divergence
- Bonzler created the Regional Committee of Soldiers' Mothers after the First Chechen War in 1995 and led it for over 20 years. — tg_horizontal_russia
- Bonzler turned to Krishnaism after her son's suicide in 2018. — tg_horizontal_russia
- Bonzler was fined 60,000 rubles for mentioning the word 'war' in court, marking the first known case of an attorney being prosecuted for speech in court. — tg_horizontal_russia
- Bonzler refused to leave Russia despite pressure from close ones and colleagues. — tg_horizontal_russia
- Bonzler claimed she was being persecuted by FSB officer Kirill Taktov, whom she accused of torturing her clients. — tg_horizontal_russia
- Bonzler was the only regional laureate of the Moscow Helsinki Group Prize for human rights protection. — novaya_eu
- The defense lawyer described the sentence as a death sentence and accused the FSB of fabricating the case to demonstrate control. — novaya_eu
- Bonzler was denied medical care, including diet, medication, and disability status in pre-trial detention. — novaya_eu
- The court removed all three defense attorneys due to a dispute over access to classified materials. — mediazona
- The defense was not shown the correspondence with the individual the FSB claims was a SBU officer. — mediazona
- The court refused to transfer Bonzler to a hospital despite her near-death experience in July due to drug incompatibility. — tg_echoonline_news
- The court did not allow the case to be moved to another city, such as St. Petersburg, despite defense requests. — fontanka
Coverage (17 sources)
- «And what are you protecting all these people for» — Новая газета Европа
- «Doctors used to vaccinate themselves against plague. I vaccinated myself against prison». Maria Bonczer defended political defendants — and now herself received 12 years in a colony for «state treason». «Glasnaya» tells the surprising and tragic story of the lawyer — Meduza
- «I was never afraid». Seven facts about the human rights defender sentenced for treason — 7х7 — Горизонтальная Россия
- To 12 years sentenced lawyer of political prisoners Maria Bonzler for 'state treason' — The Insider
- Advocate Maria Bonczler sentenced to 12 years in prison for treason case — BBC News Русская служба
- Simply depriving a person of life — Новая газета Европа
- Kaliningrad lawyer Maria Bonczler sentenced to 12 years for treason case — Медиазона
- Human rights defender Maria Bonczler sentenced to 12 years in prison for treason — Новая газета Европа
- Court in Kaliningrad sentenced lawyer Maria Bonczler to 12 years in a colony on charges of treason — ЭХО / Новости
- Court announced sentence for lawyer Maria Bonzler in treason case — Фонтанка
- Prosecution requested 15 years in prison for Kaliningrad lawyer Maria Bonzler on treason case — Настоящее Время
- Advocate Maria Bonczler sentenced to 12 years in prison on charges of "state treason" — Дождь
- Advocate for Maria Bonczler requested 15 years of deprivation of liberty — ASTRA
- Advocate Maria Bonczler sentenced to 12 years in prison on charges of "state treason" — Дождь (Telegram)
- Advocate Maria Bonczler sentenced to 12 years for treason case — Север.Реалии
- Prosecution requested 15 years in prison for Kaliningrad lawyer Maria Bonzler on treason case — Медиазона
- Sick human rights defender Maria Bonczler requested 15 years in a colony for treason case — Новая газета Европа
Key entities
- Maria Bonzler
- Kaliningrad Regional Court
- Slovo Zashchite
- Pre-trial detention center
- Kaliningrad
- Ilya Sidorov
- Aleksandr Marochkin
- Russia
- Court
- OVД-Info
- Memorial
- Moscow Helsinki Group
More on Maria Bonzler
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- Kaliningrad Lawyer Sentenced to 12 Years for Treason