Editor's note: This story was adapted from the original VOA Russian article.
Russian Prosecutors have asked a court to sentence Kaliningrad lawyer Maria Bontsler to 15 years in prison on charges of high treason.
Bontsler is known for representing defendants in politically sensitive cases. She was detained in late May 2025 and has remained in pre-trial detention ever since.
Slovo Zashchite, translated in English as "A Word to the Defense," first reported the news, citing attorney Ilya Sidorov, who visited Bontsler in pretrial detention. Sidorov was on Bontsler's defense team until July 2026, when he was removed from the case.
Bontsler could deliver her final statement in court Wednesday before the verdict is handed down.
She was initially accused of confidential cooperation with a foreign state. Investigators say Bontsler passed information about Russian security officers to Ukraine’s SBU security service.
Authorities later reclassified the case as high treason, a charge that carries a maximum prison sentence of 20 years under Russian law.
She is currently being held in a detention center in Kaliningrad, and according to Bontsler's lawyer, her health has deteriorated in prison due to complications related to diabetes and hypertension.
Valeria Vetoshkina, a lawyer with the independent human rights group OVD-Info, told VOA that Bontsler's physical condition remains a major concern.
"Unfortunately, she is not feeling well. Everyone knows that Russian detention facilities and prisons are extremely difficult places. People are often treated poorly, and adequate medical care is frequently unavailable."
Human rights advocates have repeatedly expressed concern about Bontsler's health and the conditions of her detention as she awaits the outcome of her trial.
"If a person has chronic illnesses, they can worsen significantly in custody, and that is what happened in her case," Vetoshkina said. "She lost consciousness at one point and was not provided with proper medical assistance."
Vetoshkina also said she "would not be surprised if the sentence is close to what prosecutors are seeking."
Treason cases can carry a life sentence. But Russian law prohibits life imprisonment for women, so according to Vetoshkina, "the maximum punishment is 20 years."
The human rights lawyer also highlighted an unusually harsh approach by local security services.
"It appears that the local Federal Security Service (FSB) has taken a particular interest in this case. We see an extraordinary level of severity and a very negative attitude toward her," she said. "Given everything that has happened, I would not be surprised if the final sentence is close to the term being requested by prosecutors."
Vetoshkina also pointed out that Bontsler had frequently defended people prosecuted in cases initiated by the local FSB.