MOSCOW -- Amnesty International has called on Russian authorities to open to the public the ongoing trial of Ivan Safronov, a prominent former Russian journalist accused of high treason in a case widely considered to be politically motivated.
In a statement on April 11, Amnesty expressed concern over the increasing number of trials in the country involving charges of high treason and called on authorities to release the 31-year-old Safronov, who faces up to 25 years in prison if convicted.
"Especially concerning is the status of secrecy of such cases that is labeled to all the materials, due to which lawyers are forced to sign papers barring them from making the details of the cases public," the rights group said.
The Moscow City Court began Safronov's trial on April 4 on a charge that he passed secret information about Russian arms sales in the Middle East to NATO member the Czech Republic in 2017.
Safronov, who covered the defense industry for the newspapers Kommersant and Vedomosti, is also a former adviser to the head of Russia's space agency Roskosmos, Dmitry Rogozin.
Safronov has repeatedly denied the accusations and his supporters have held pickets in Moscow and other cities demanding his release.
Human rights organizations have issued statements demanding Safronov’s release and expressing concerns over an intensifying crackdown on dissent in Russia.