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5 September The Kaliningrad Regional Court rejected the appeal against the extension of preventive measures for lawyer Maria Bonzler. The decision of the Leningrad District Court from 24 July, which ordered her to remain in pre-trial detention, was upheld.

The project “Word in Defence” noted that the regional court found no grounds to change or overturn the lower court’s decision.

Additionally, the court ignored the fact that Bonzler has officially confirmed chronic health conditions.

On 15 August, the Leningrad District Court heard an appeal from the defence challenging the criminal proceedings against Bonzler. The court held the hearing behind closed doors.

Maria Bonzler pointed out that there is “no evidence at all” in her case.

“The prosecutor said I disclosed something about their operational-search activities. But I didn’t even know any such operational procedures were being carried out against me until I was detained. Or when they write that I agreed to cooperate with foreign intelligence, then, when they schedule an expert review, they ask: ‘Are there any linguistic indicators that Bonzler agreed to work with intelligence? ’ Excuse me, did I agree or just are there signs of it? It’s like: tick the box or pick the underwear, for goodness’ sake,” said the lawyer.

  • Since the start of the war, Maria Bonzler has defended residents of Kaliningrad, a Russian exclave on the Baltic Sea, who took part in protest actions. She was also the lawyer for Igor Baryshnikov, who was sentenced to seven and a half years in a general regime colony in a case over “fake news” about the Russian army, motivated by political hatred (paragraph “d,” part 2, article 207.3 of the Criminal Code). Bonzler represented his interests in cooperation with OVD-Info.
  • In 1995, Bonzler founded and led the Committee of Soldiers’ Mothers of the Kaliningrad Region, which defended the rights of conscripts, military personnel, and their families. In 2017, Bonzler became a certified lawyer, and six years later she won a Moscow Helsinki Group award for defending human rights in court.