Moscow (AFP) – A Russian court on Thursday placed under judicial supervision the respected leader of a humanitarian organization for sick children, Lida Moniava, accused of having criticized the actions of the Russian army in Ukraine and facing ten years in prison.
Published on: 03/09/2026 - 22:21
In a statement, the press service of the Moscow courts said she would be under judicial supervision at least until October 30.
She will not have the right to leave her home between 8 p.m. and 8 a.m., to use the Internet and to speak to witnesses in the case, her lawyer, Mikhail Birioukov, told AFP.
Ms. Moniava, aged 38, was arrested on Wednesday in Moscow then questioned and charged with "spreading false information" about the Russian army.
This crime, introduced into the criminal code a few days after the launch of the Russian offensive against Ukraine on February 24, 2022, is part of the legislative arsenal making it possible to muzzle critical voices of the conflict in Russia.
After the hearing, several dozen people gathered in front of the court gates applauded the accused who walked out free and chanted "Lida! Lida!", according to an AFP journalist on site.
In Russia, in this type of case, suspects are often placed in pre-trial detention until their trial, hence the joy of Ms. Moniava's supporters.
The activist told the press that she would continue to work and "hold meetings" but without using a computer, so as not to violate the conditions of her judicial control.
"Yesterday, they (investigators) spent hours trying to convince me to plead guilty. But I don't feel guilty. I want the war to end as quickly as possible," she said.
A figure followed by tens of thousands of people on social networks, this humanitarian leader founded a palliative care center for children in Moscow.
She is also at the origin of a charitable fund for sick children, mayak.help, which until recently also helped Ukrainian refugees in Russia.
The Russian Investigative Committee accused Ms. Moniava of "publicly disseminating false information on the actions of the Russian armed forces against the civilian population in Ukraine on Telegram."
According to her lawyer, it is a message that her client posted on Telegram on February 24, 2023, on the occasion of the first anniversary of the start of the conflict, in which she reports the thousands of civilian victims in Ukraine, citing UN statistics and calling for help to Ukrainian refugees in Russia.
The human rights organization Amnesty International said the prosecution of "one of Russia's top charity leaders" aimed to "silence" all of civil society.
© 2026 AFP
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