Journalist-researcher of Kadyrov's entourage detained in Moscow

Colleagues of Ivan Golunov, a "Meduza" journalist, detained in Moscow on suspicion of drug dealing, associate his persecution with his professional activities.

The Golunov's detention became known on June 7, although in fact he was detained in the afternoon on June 6. Ivan told his advocate that law enforcers stopped him at the "Tsvetnoy Boulevard" metro station in Moscow and planted a package with an unknown substance into his backpack.

According to the Russia's Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA), the package seized from the journalist contained 3.56 grams of mephedrone; and in his apartment, operative agents found three more packages and scales. Golunov is charged with attempting to sell drugs at a large scale, the "Meduza" quotes Dmitry Djulai, Ivan's advocate, as saying.

The "Meduza" insists that Ivan Golunov is innocent; and his detention and persecution have to do with his journalistic activities – in recent months, he received threats in connection with one of the texts he is preparing.

Some Golunov's journalistic investigations are related to the regions of the Caucasus and Southern Russia: he published materials about the assets of Ramzan Kadyrov's retinue, and about the monopolization of the funeral services market in Volgograd.

Alexei Navalny, the head of the Anti-Corruption Foundation, has compared Golunov's prosecution with drug cases in Chechnya. "In the context of Ivan Golunov's arrest, I want to draw attention to the following: now, they'll start talking (and we understand who'll do it): 'Well, who would plant drugs so clumsily?' ... This is exactly the way they are doing it now: Zhalaudi Geriev, Ruslan Kutaev, Oyub Titiev – all the recent high-profile political arrests, and in all of them drugs had been planted," Mr Navalny wrote in his Telegram channel.

This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on June 7, 2019 at 11:22 pm MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.