Court in Riga sentences Elena Kirillova in the “14 journalists” case

Journalist Elena Kirillova, who cooperated with the Rossiya Segodnya media group, was sentenced to 240 hours of community service. The prosecutor had previously requested a fine of 14,000 euros, equivalent to 20 minimum wages.

The court found Kirillova guilty of violating the European Union sanctions imposed on Dmitry Kiselyov, the CEO of the media group. Despite the fact that the sanctions are personal, the Latvian authorities interpreted them broadly, extending their effect to the legal entity, which is managed by Kiselyov.

In 2020, the Latvian State Security Service initiated proceedings against 14 journalists who cooperated with publications belonging to the Rossiya Segodnya media holding. These actions were justified by the assumption of violation of the sanctions regime imposed on Dmitry Kiselyov, who was included in the EU sanctions list.