Reuters
source: Reuters
Russian investigators have dropped a criminal case against children’s hospice founder Lida Moniava after finding her actions did not constitute a crime, her lawyer and a group of supporters said on Tuesday, a rare apparent reversal by authorities enforcing stringent wartime censorship laws.
Moniava was briefly detained in September and charged with deliberately spreading false information about the actions of Russian armed forces against Ukrainian civilians.
She denied the charge and was placed under pre-trial restrictions. Her Lighthouse charity continued its work supporting critically ill children and young people in Moscow region.
In a post on Telegram, a group set up to support her during the case announced what it called a miracle. “We have incredible news — the criminal case against Lida Moniava has been dropped.”
It thanked those who had spoken up for Moniava. “Special thanks to the heroic patients from Lighthouse who came to support Lida at the court in wheelchairs and with ventilators,” it added.
Her lawyer said investigators had informed him that they had dropped the case, Russian news agencies reported.
