Story By: Anastasia Smirnova, Sub-Editor:  Joseph Golder, Agency: Central European News

A Russian netizen says he was dragged into a forest and tortured by police before being jailed for five years in a fast-tracked case for an online posting about a suicide bomb attack on local cops.

It was not revealed exactly what Ivan Lyubshin, 37, wrote about the incident in which a 17-year old college student entered the the FSB (Federal Security Service) building and detonated an improvised explosive device – injuring three cops.

But officers were not impressed and he claims he was arrested, dragged into a forest and tortured with a stun gun before being charged for promoting terrorism and jailed for five years.

The teen suicide bomber died on the spot after the attack on the FSB building in the Russian city of Arkhangelsk Oblast in October 2018, and Lyubshin’s online comment has not been disclosed by the Russian authorities as was it deemed to justify terrorism, according to local media.

Reports said the netizen was arrested by masked agents on 15th October.

Pavel Chikov of the human rights group Agora said it took the court just one day to rule on his case.

Even though prosecutors wanted a longer prison term of six years and one month, Lyubshin was reportedly sentenced to a ‘reduced’ five-year term.

His legal representatives are planning to appeal the sentence.

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