Journalist's "treason" case raises new concerns over Russian dissent crackdown

• Safronov's sentencing came the same day a Russian court revoked the print license of the independent Novaya Gazeta newspaper, partly founded after funding from the late former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev.
• The paper's co-founder Dmitry Muratov was awarded the 2021 Nobel Peace Prize, which he auctioned off for $103.5 million in a fundraiser for Ukrainian child refugees in New York City last June.

The big picture: Safronov reported for the Kommersant and Vedomosti newspapers before leaving journalism in May 2020 to become an adviser to the head of Russia's space agency, Roscosmos.

• He was arrested in July of that year and has always denied any wrongdoing.

What they're saying: The European Union issued a statement to its Telegram channel calling for the charges against Safronov to be dropped and for authorities to "release him unconditionally."

• The Committee to Protect Journalists, in a statement calling for Safronov's release, said he was "guilty of no other crime than doing his job as a journalist."

What's next: Safronov, who previously declined a plea deal, plans to appeal the verdict, the BBC reports.