The nephew of the poet Vladimir Britanishsky has been sentenced to five and a half years over a one-word comment.

In St Petersburg, the 1st Western District Military Court has sentenced 51-year-old Evgeny Britanishsky to five and a half years in a general regime colony on charges of justifying terrorism. This was reported by “Slovo Zashchite” (“A Word to the Defence”).

He has also been banned from administering websites for two years. According to the project, the case was triggered by a comment consisting of just one word. The specific word is unknown: the trial was held behind closed doors and details of the accusation have not been made public. Britanishsky did not admit guilt.

In March this year, the man’s home was searched. According to “A Word to the Defence,” law enforcement officers arrived at around six in the morning, broke down the front door of the communal flat, and began opening rooms. Britanishsky’s father did not immediately understand what was happening and took a while to open up. The officers struck him in the face with the door, leaving him with a bruise.

“They broke down the door in my face and knocked me to the floor, twisted my arms as they’re supposed to do. Why? They forced all the neighbours to the floor, and then the chief investigator came in and said: ‘Sorry, it happens,’” Britanishsky’s father told A Word to the Defence.

Before his arrest, Evgeny Britanishsky worked as a building designer. He is the nephew of the poet and translator Vladimir Britanishsky.