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Journalist Sent to Jail for Extremism

A Moscow court has sentenced a journalist to 6 1/2 years in prison for extremism, Itar-Tass reported Tuesday.

The Butyrsky court also prohibited Boris Stomakhin from working in journalism for eight years.

Stomakhin was charged with extremism, inciting ethnic hatred, infringing on Russia's territorial integrity and justifying terrorism.

The journalist, who also served time for extremism from 2006 to 2011, previously attracted attention after writing articles justifying the actions of Chechen insurgents, including terrorism, and calling for fighting against what he called Russian imperialism.

Some human rights activists have labeled him a political prisoner, while others deny the claim.

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