Imprisoned anti-war journalist Ponomarenko threatens to harm himself over mistreatment in prison

Siberian journalist and activist Maria Ponomarenko, imprisoned under Russia's wartime censorship laws, threatened to slit her wrists in protest against the abuse she says she suffered while in custody.

Ponomarenko was sentenced to six years in prison in February 2023 for spreading “fake news” about the 2022 Russian bombing of a theater in Ukraine's Mariupol – an attack for which Moscow denies responsibility. She is currently serving her sentence in a penal colony in Russia's Altai region.

Last fall, Ponomarenko was again accused of attacking prison guards, but she denies these charges. At hearings this summer, the journalist accused prison staff of suffocating her and mistreating other inmates.

At a court hearing on Tuesday, Ponomarenko claimed that regional prison authorities ignored her complaints and threatened to slit her wrists if she was transferred back to the penal colony, her employer said, according to the RusNews news portal.

In an audio recording shared by RusNews, Ponomarenko was heard breaking down in tears as she described her treatment. Her next court hearing is scheduled for Tuesday.

Ponomarenko, who was diagnosed with histrionic personality disorder, self-harmed in September 2022 while in pre-trial detention, citing abusive conditions.