‘Meduza’ correspondent Ivan Golunov is named as victim in felony case against police officers who arrested him last summer

Meduza special correspondent Ivan Golunov has been named as a victim in an investigation into the abuse of power by the Moscow police, a state investigator working on the case told Golunov, who’s been invited to testify against the suspects on January 20. 

In June 2019, police arrested Golunov on suspicion of intent to distribute illegal narcotics. He says the drugs were planted on him. Several days later, following a massive public campaign in Golunov’s defense, the authorities dropped the charges against him.

The officers who arrested Golunov were later fired. Golunov’s lawyer previously filed a complaint against the delay in investigating these former officers, but a court rejected the lawsuit last December.

In late December, President Putin revealed that Golunov’s arresting officers are now suspects in a felony investigation. On January 13, the public learned that this case is being prosecuted as an abuse of police power.