MOSCOW, April 10 (Reuters) - A Russian court on Friday ordered Oleg Roldugin, an investigative journalist for independent newspaper Novaya Gazeta, to be placed in pre-trial detention until May 10.
Russian investigative journalist is placed in pre-trial detention
Detention of Oleg Roldugin and Pressure on Independent Media
MOSCOW, April 10 (Reuters) - A Russian court on Friday ordered the detention of Oleg Roldugin, an investigative journalist for independent newspaper Novaya Gazeta, following his arrest a day earlier.
Arrest and Charges
Roldugin was arrested on Thursday in a case involving alleged misuse of personal data following a search of his home and a raid by masked security agents on the offices of Novaya Gazeta, one of Russia's best-known investigative outlets.
Context of Increased Media Pressure
Russia has tightened its censorship laws and increased pressure on independent media since it launched its war in Ukraine in 2022. In another case this week, the FSB security service said it had detained a freelance journalist in Siberia on suspicion of treason.
Details of the Arrest
State media on Thursday published a brief video clip of Roldugin's arrest, showing him being bundled into a van by masked men. Under Russian criminal law, misuse of personal data carries a prison sentence of up to 10 years if it causes "grave consequences".
Court Proceedings and Legal Defense
Roldugin, standing in a glass box in the courtroom on Friday, told reporters he was innocent.
Defense Arguments
His lawyer Marina Andreyeva requested that he be put under house arrest instead of in prison, and said she and Roldugin did not know whose personal data he was accused of misusing. The judge rejected her request, placing him in pre-trial detention until May 10.
Background on Novaya Gazeta and Roldugin
Searches and Previous Work
Novaya Gazeta said its office had been searched for 13 hours on Thursday and no reason had been given.
Roldugin’s Previous Publications
Roldugin previously ran a weekly newspaper called Sobesednik that was labelled a "foreign agent" and forced to cease publication in 2024, months after it published a front-page story on the death in a penal colony of leading dissident Alexei Navalny.
Recent Investigations
Roldugin had recently published an article in Novaya Gazeta investigating how a former aide to the nephew of Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov was able to acquire one of Russia's most expensive penthouses.
He told reporters he doubted whether that was the reason for his arrest, but he did not know which of his articles had got him into trouble.
Novaya Gazeta’s Reputation
Novaya Gazeta's editor-in-chief Dmitry Muratov was co-winner of the 2021 Nobel Peace Prize, and dedicated the award to six of his paper's journalists who were murdered for their work.
(Reporting by Reuters; Writing by Mark Trevelyan and Lucy Papachristou)
