Statement by Memorial on the case of Ivan Golunov
We demand all charges against the journalist be dropped.
The arrest of Ivan Golunov, a journalist who works for Meduza, was accompanied by numerous procedural violations of a very serious nature. A list of just some of these violations, that gives sufficient grounds to show the criminal case has been fabricated, includes: the refusal over many hours to inform his family and allow him access to a lawyer; the dubious circumstances of the examination of his person and the search of his apartment; the publication by the Moscow Police Department of counterfeit photographs of the ‘domestic drugs laboratory’; the beating to which he was subjected; the failure to provide timely medical care; and the excessive length of detention in violation of permitted norms.
It is hard to believe that a busy and successful investigative journalist could at the same time be engaged in drug trafficking.
We know how easily criminal charges related to drugs’ possession can be fabricated. Examples can be seen in the cases of political prisoners Oyub Titiev, Andrei Kolomiyets, Mikhail Savostin, Zhalaudi Geriev and Ruslan Kutaev.
Photo © Evgeny Feldman, Meduza
These practices are widespread and enable the continuing impunity of those guilty of procedural violations and fabrication of criminal cases.
We declare our solidarity with Ivan Golunov and demand that the charges against him be investigated in an impartial and transparent manner.
Those guilty of the violation of Ivan Golunov’s rights and, even more, of the fabrication of evidence of an especially serious crime, must be identified and punished. It is therefore vital that the campaign of support and solidarity, so rapidly launched around the world, continues.