Colleagues and friends of detained journalist Ivan Golunov, at Russian Internal Ministry building in Moscow

Colleagues and friends of detained journalist Ivan Golunov, at Russian Internal Ministry building in Moscow

A RUSSIAN INVESTIGATIVE journalist facing drugs charges in a case supporters have denounced as a frame-up was taken to hospital today after complaining of being beaten in police custody.

Ivan Golunov, a Moscow-based reporter for Meduza independent news site has been charged with attempted dealing in designer drug mephedrone and cocaine.

Supporters and his defence team said he had received death threats and suggested the drugs were planted to punish him over his reporting. Rights groups Amnesty said there was evidence that the authorities were fabricating drugs charges to shut up their critics.

After his detention on Thursday, Golunov told a representative of Russia’s presidential rights council, which advises Vladimir Putin, that police had punched him and stood on his chest,

His lawyer Pavel Chikov said that paramedics suspected he had broken ribs and concussion. A paramedic who examined him told Interfax news agency that he had numerous grazes to his chest, injuries to his ribs and a suspected head injury while police have denied he was beaten.

The journalist was due to attend court today for a ruling on whether to hold him in custody but police said that they called an ambulance after he complained of feeling unwell and he was taken to a hospital for examination.

Golunov’s detention has prompted widespread outrage and supporters and journalists have held protests outside the police headquarters and the court where his case was due to be held.

Meduza posted photographs of people holding placards in support of Golunov in cities in Russia and abroad.

The 36-year-old has investigated high-level corruption among Moscow officials and Meduza said it believed he was being persecuted for his journalistic work.

Meduza general director Galina Timchenko told journalists outside court that Golunov had received death threats over his reporting.

“Ivan received threats. Two months ago they became almost daily,” she said. She had failed to persuade Golunov to contact police, she added.

“They said ‘we’ll bury you forever’,” she said.

Golunov has investigated everything from Russia’s shady funeral industry to corruption in Moscow city hall.

“We have reasons to believe that Golunov is being persecuted for his journalistic work,” Meduza said in an earlier statement.

The respected site is based in EU member Latvia to avoid Russian censorship, but some journalists, including Golunov live in Russia.

One of his lawyers, Dmitry Dzhulai, told AFP it appeared the drugs had been planted on Golunov.

Moscow police admitted that they published on their website photographs of drugs paraphernalia that they captioned as showing the crime scene but were not taken at Golunov’s flat.

“Everything indicates that the authorities are planting drugs on their targets to shut them up with a jail sentence,” said Natalia Zvyagina, director of Amnesty International’s branch in Russia.

A presidential rights council member who visited Golunov in detention on Friday, Yeva Merkacheva, said in a statement that Golunov had shown her scratches on his back that he said were from police dragging him.

He also told her he was twice punched in the head and that the police also stood on his chest and that “he hadn’t slept for 24 hours and so he feels bad. He also hasn’t eaten”, she said.

Russian journalists and rights groups see the case as an example of the persecution of independent reporters, with many saying Golunov was not known to take drugs.

Outside the Moscow court where Golunov was due to appear Saturday, several journalists held up placards with slogans including “I am the journalist Ivan Golunov. Arrest me too.”

Police detained three people, an AFP video journalist saw.

Yesterday, dozens of journalists protested against Golunov’s detention outside Moscow police headquarters and were themselves briefly detained.

Reporters Without Borders warned his arrest could mark “a significant escalation in the persecution” of independent journalists in Russia. </s> MOSCOW (Reuters) - A Russian investigative journalist who was detained this week for alleged drug offences was taken to court on Saturday to face possible arrest, after being hospitalised with suspected head injuries.

Ivan Golunov, 36, had been on his way to a meeting with a source on Thursday when he was detained in central Moscow and illegal drugs were found in his rucksack, according to police and his employer, the online news portal Meduza.

A lawyer for Golunov, who is known for investigating alleged corruption among Moscow city officials, said he believed police had planted the drugs on his client to frame him and that Golunov had been physically beaten.

“The detainee ... complained of feeling unwell. An ambulance was called,” Moscow City police said in a statement on its website. “Paramedics decided that he should be taken to hospital for examination.”

Interfax news agency cited an unnamed paramedic as saying Golunov had multiple chest abrasions, rib bruises and suspected head injuries. The agency subsequently said he had been released from hospital and brought to court, which under Russian law is where he would have to be charged with any alleged offences.

News agency RIA later cited Alexander Myasnikov, chief doctor of the hospital, as saying following the medical examination that Golunov did not have any serious injuries.

A Moscow court said it had received a request from investigators to hold Golunov in custody on drug charges. He could either be placed under arrest in custody, subject to house arrest, released on bail, or released with travel restrictions.

The court may also extend his detention by 72 hours.

The U.S. embassy called on the Russian authorities to free Golunov and ensure the transparency of the investigation, Interfax reported.

The editorial management of Meduza, which is based in Latvia, has said Golunov had received threats in recent months in connection with a story he was working on.

A number of independent reporters in Russia have been prosecuted, threatened or killed. In 2017 journalist Yulia Latynina was forced to flee Russia after a series of attacks. </s> Russian journalist in Moscow police custody sent to hospital

MOSCOW (AP) — A prominent investigative journalist who was detained on drug-dealing charges in Russia is being taken to the hospital after complaining of feeling poorly in police custody.

The Moscow police department said Saturday that an emergency medical squad was called for Ivan Golunov and determined he should be taken a hospital for examination.

It did not specify Golunov's medical problem. The head of human rights organization Agora, Pavel Chikov, told Russian news agencies Golunov was suspected to have a concussion and a broken rib.

Golunov's publication, the independent website Meduza, said he allegedly was beaten after his Thursday arrest.

Police are alleging four grams of a synthetic stimulant were found in his backpack. But many journalists suspect the arrest was retribution for Golunov's investigative work. </s> MOSCOW: A Russian investigative journalist facing what supporters call trumped up drugs charges was ordered to be held under house arrest on Saturday (Jun 8) after appearing before a judge in Moscow.

Around a hundred people cheered outside the court to show support for Ivan Golunov, 36, in a case that has drawn international concern.

The Moscow-based reporter for the Meduza independent news site has been charged with attempted dealing of a "large amount" of designer drug mephedrone and cocaine.

He will remain under house arrest for two months, the judge said.

Supporters and his defence team said before the hearing he had received death threats and suggested the drugs were planted to punish him for his reporting.

"We have reasons to believe that Golunov is being persecuted for his journalistic work," Meduza said in a statement.

The respected site is based in EU member Latvia to avoid Russian censorship, but some journalists live in Russia. Golunov has investigated subjects ranging from Russia's shady funeral industry to corruption in Moscow city hall.

Golunov was taken to court from a Moscow hospital where doctors examined him and rejected lawyers' claims that he had broken ribs and concussion, while saying he had scratches on his back and a bruised eye.

Golunov, who was arrested on Thursday, earlier told a representative of Russia's presidential rights council, which advises Vladimir Putin that police had punched him and stood on his chest, while police denied he was beaten.

The US Embassy in Moscow wrote on Twitter: "We call for the release of Ivan Golunov," saying he "should not suffer persecution over his professional activities", while the British Embassy called his case "concerning".

Around 20 supporters also protested outside the Russian Embassy in Berlin with slogans such as "Free Golunov".

Meduza founder and CEO Galina Timchenko told journalists outside court Golunov had received death threats over his reporting.

"Ivan received threats. Two months ago they became almost daily," she said.

"They said 'we'll bury you forever'," she said.

One of Golunov's lawyers, Dmitry Dzhulai, told AFP it appeared the drugs had been planted on Golunov.

Moscow police admitted that they posted photographs of drugs paraphernalia wrongly captioned as showing Golunov's flat.

"Everything indicates that the authorities are planting drugs on their targets to shut them up with a jail sentence," said Natalia Zvyagina, director of Amnesty International's branch in Russia.

Russian journalists and rights groups see the case as an example of the persecution of independent reporters, with many saying Golunov was not known to take drugs.

Outside the Moscow court on Saturday, some journalists held up placards with slogans including "I am the journalist Ivan Golunov. Arrest me too."

Police detained four people, an AFP video journalist saw.

On Friday, dozens of journalists protested against Golunov's detention outside Moscow police headquarters and were themselves briefly detained.

Reporters Without Borders warned his arrest could mark "a significant escalation in the persecution" of independent journalists in Russia.

Journalists at Russia's dwindling number of independent media resources frequently face criminal probes, physical attacks and official pressure. Drugs accusations, however, are not common. </s> MOSCOW (AP) — The Latest on a Russian journalist arrested on drug charges (all times local):

Russia's interior minister says all charges against an investigative journalist arrested on suspicion of drug dealing have been dropped.

Minister Vladimir Kolokoltsev said in a statement on Tuesday that the accusations against Ivan Golunov "have not been proven."

Kolokoltsev said Golunov has been released from house arrest and he intends to seek the dismissal of three senior police officials and to investigate others.

Golunov was jailed on Thursday and put under house arrest on Saturday. He denied possessing drugs and the circumstances of his case aroused suspicion among rights activists the journalist had been framed.

The speaker of the upper house of the Russian parliament has raised concerns about a drug dealing case against a prominent investigative journalist.

Valentina Matviyenko, who is Russia's third most senior official after the president and prime minister, on Tuesday described the criminal inquiry into Ivan Golunov as "a really bad story." She said that she spoke to the prosecutor general who promised to take the case under his personal control.

Golunov, who works for the independent website Meduza, was beaten and kept in custody for 12 hours without a lawyer after he was stopped by police in Moscow on Thursday, according to his lawyer. He was transferred to house arrest following a public outpouring of support, but he still faces drug dealing charges. </s> Russian Journalist Ivan Golunov Is Freed, As Drug Charges Are Dropped

Russian investigative journalist Ivan Golunov is now free, after Russia's interior affairs ministry said it would drop drug charges against him. Golunov's freedom was announced by his employer, Meduza.

Golunov had been held under house arrest since Saturday. His arrest last Thursday triggered a public outcry — and accusations that police had fabricated the case against him.

In a surprise move, authorities said on Tuesday that there isn't enough evidence to back up the charges against Golunov, 36. The journalist's arrest last Thursday shocked many in Russia, especially as he was accused of being involved in a drug ring.

In a statement announcing Golunov's freedom, Meduza's leader thanked what they called "an unprecedented international solidarity campaign" of journalists and others who are committed to free speech.

"Together, we made the unbelievable happen: we stopped the criminal prosecution of an innocent man. Thank you!" the statement said.

The criminal case against Golunov had several irregularities. During his detention, reports emerged that police officers had beaten Golunov while in custody. And via his employer, he said the "evidence" that was allegedly gathered from his apartment — including various drugs and weight scales — had actually been planted there.

Explaining the decision to release Golunov, Minister of Internal Affairs Vladimir Kolokoltsev said that after numerous tests, "a decision has been made to drop the criminal case against journalist Ivan Golunov for lack of evidence proving his involvement in the crime in question. He will be released from house arrest today, and the charges against him will be dropped."

The announcement also said an internal investigation will be conducted into the police officers who detained the journalist. Those officers have now been suspended from their official duties, Kolokoltsev said.

While the news of Golunov's arrest came as a surprise to many, word of Tuesday's abrupt reversal came as a shock. Another journalist in Moscow, Alexey Kovalev, asked via Twitter, "Cops who framed him will be investigated. Am I sleeping? Did this really happen?"

Those who spoke out against Golunov's detention included the Committee to Protect Journalists, which noted Russia's "long history of politically motivated allegations against reporters."

Despite the victory, Meduza says the work to prevent anyone else being treated in a similar way has only just begun. And it announced that its plans for a pro- Golunov rally, which had run into official delays, has now received the official go-ahead. That rally is scheduled for next Sunday, June 16.

As Golunov's former colleague Leonid Bershidsky writes for Bloomberg, Golunov is a well-respected journalist whose work has mostly dealt with exposing corruption at the lower levels of Russian life rather than taking on the heads of its power structure. He has reported on landfills, loan sharks and city bureaucracies.

But that changed a bit on Thursday, Bershidsky says, when Golunov published a story about Moscow's funeral industry "which implicated a number of law enforcement officials, including some officers in the FSB secret police, in running a protection racket."

Later that day, Golunov was detained in public and taken back to his apartment, where he was confronted with drug paraphernalia.

His case set off alarm bells in Moscow's journalism circles, Bershidsky writes, including the fear that "anyone could be next in line." </s> A Russian investigative journalist arrested on controversial drug charges has been severely beaten in custody, his lawyer has said.

A doctor who inspected Ivan Golunov said he may have suffered broken ribs, concussion and a haematoma.

Golunov, a reporter for the independent Meduza news website, was arrested on drug charges on Friday. Colleagues and friends believe he is being targeted for his work on state corruption and business interests.

Two separate teams of doctors suggested Golunov be taken to hospital for x-rays but police investigators refused. The injuries were sustained while Golunov was in custody, his lawyer Dmitri Dzhulai confirmed by text message.

Golunov was later taken to a Moscow hospital, several Russian outlets reported. He had earlier complained police punched and kicked him about the head and chest because he refused to sign a police report before he had access to a lawyer.

He was formally charged on Saturday with drug possession with intent to sell, a crime that carries a prison sentence of between 10 and 20 years. Police said that they found 3.56 grams of the clubbing drug mephedrone in a backpack belonging to Golunov and 5.42 grams of cocaine in an apartment he purportedly rented in Moscow. Golunov has said the drugs were planted.

Hundreds of people protested against his arrest outside Moscow’s police headquarters on Friday, holding signs in support reading: “My name is Ivan Golunov. I am a journalist. Arrest me, too.”

Police had also demanded Golunov sign a confession, Dzhulai said. Russian investigators often put suspects in criminal cases under pressure in order to sobtain confessions, which makes it far easier to secure a conviction.

Police have also tried to limit the public flow of information about the case, demanding that Golunov’s lawyers sign non-disclosure agreements. They have refused.

Golunov has investigated family members of a Moscow deputy mayor who amassed a fortune in real estate, predatory lenders who purchased apartments in Moscow, plans to ship Moscow’s waste to the regions, and the efforts of a senior official’s son to corner Russia’s funeral market.

He had been receiving threats before his arrest, his editors said.

“Ivan Golunov is a prominent critic and his investigations into government corruption clearly did not go down well with the authorities. It seems he is now paying the price,” said Natalia Zviagina, the director of Amnesty International’s Russia office . “The circumstances of Ivan Golunov’s detention sound dubious and follow a depressingly familiar pattern.” </s> The Latest on a Russian journalist arrested on drug charges (all times local):

Russia's interior minister says all charges against an investigative journalist arrested on suspicion of drug dealing have been dropped.

Minister Vladimir Kolokoltsev said in a statement on Tuesday that the accusations against Ivan Golunov "have not been proven."

Kolokoltsev said Golunov has been released from house arrest and he intends to seek the dismissal of two senior police officials and to investigate others.

Golunov was jailed on Thursday and put under house arrest on Saturday. He denied possessing drugs and the circumstances of his case aroused suspicion among rights activists the journalist had been framed.

This version corrects that Kolokoltsev said he plans to seek the dismissal of two senior police officials, not three.

The speaker of the upper house of the Russian parliament has raised concerns about a drug dealing case against a prominent investigative journalist.

Valentina Matviyenko, who is Russia's third most senior official after the president and prime minister, on Tuesday described the criminal inquiry into Ivan Golunov as "a really bad story." She said that she spoke to the prosecutor general who promised to take the case under his personal control.

Golunov, who works for the independent website Meduza, was beaten and kept in custody for 12 hours without a lawyer after he was stopped by police in Moscow on Thursday, according to his lawyer. He was transferred to house arrest following a public outpouring of support, but he still faces drug dealing charges. </s> The Latest on a Russian journalist arrested on drug charges (all times local):

Russia's interior minister says all charges against an investigative journalist arrested on suspicion of drug dealing have been dropped.

Minister Vladimir Kolokoltsev said in a statement on Tuesday that the accusations against Ivan Golunov "have not been proven."

Kolokoltsev said Golunov has been released from house arrest and he intends to seek the dismissal of three senior police officials and to investigate others.

Golunov was jailed on Thursday and put under house arrest on Saturday. He denied possessing drugs and the circumstances of his case aroused suspicion among rights activists the journalist had been framed.

The speaker of the upper house of the Russian parliament has raised concerns about a drug dealing case against a prominent investigative journalist.

Valentina Matviyenko, who is Russia's third most senior official after the president and prime minister, on Tuesday described the criminal inquiry into Ivan Golunov as "a really bad story." She said that she spoke to the prosecutor general who promised to take the case under his personal control.

Golunov, who works for the independent website Meduza, was beaten and kept in custody for 12 hours without a lawyer after he was stopped by police in Moscow on Thursday, according to his lawyer. He was transferred to house arrest following a public outpouring of support, but he still faces drug dealing charges.
Several people, protesting Meduza investigative journalist Ivan Golunov's arrest Thursday on drug charges, are themselves arrested outside Moscow's Nikulinsky Court. Others were arrested yesterday. His lawyer says drugs were planted on him. Golunov was taken to a hospital, police say because he said he was ill. Meduza says he was beaten up during and after his arrest. A doctor's examination found the reporter has "a suspected rib fracture, concussion and hematoma."