"People are persecuted for their nonconformity, political views, beliefs, and, as has recently become apparent, even for trying to defend what seems like the obvious truth," Zakharova told reporters on the sidelines of the Eastern Economic Forum.
The US Justice Department said on Thursday that the US government had charged Dimitri Simes and his wife, Anastasia Simes, with alleged violations of US sanctions. Simes and his wife, who are believed to be in Russia at present, have each been charged with one count of conspiracy to violate the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA), one count of violating IEEPA and one count of conspiracy to commit international money laundering. If convicted, they face up to 60 years in prison.
The Eastern Economic Forum began on Tuesday and runs through Friday. It is being hosted by the Far Eastern Federal University in Russia's Pacific coast city of Vladivostok. Sputnik is the general information partner of the EEF 2024.