Week-ending 1 October 2021
This week the Russian authorities announced Roman Dobrokhotov, an investigative journalist, founder and editor-in-chief of The Insider website, was under investigation for allegedly illegally crossing the Russian border into Ukraine on the night of 1 August 2021. He has been put on a wanted list, the FSB said. The Moscow Times reported that Dobrokhotov, editor-in-chief of The Insider, tweeted that FSB agents searched his parents’ home at 6:00 a.m. on 30 September 2021, confiscating electronic devices. Dobrokhotov’s parents and wife were questioned, according to The Insider said. The Insider specialises in investigative journalism and was a partner with Bellingcat in the high-profile independent investigation into the the 2020 poisoning of Aleksei Navalny.
Sources:
The Guardian, 30 September 2021: Russian authorities are seeking to detain a prominent investigative journalist, in another sign of increased government pressure on independent media, opposition supporters and human rights activists. Roman Dobrokhotov, the founder and editor-in-chief of the Insider news site is being investigated on charges of “illegally” crossing the border, and has been placed on a wanted list as part of the investigation, the Federal Security Service (FSB) said on Thursday.
The Moscow Times, 30 September 2021: Russian authorities added prominent investigative journalist Roman Dobrokhotov to the country’s wanted list, his lawyer said Thursday, charging him with illegally crossing the Russian border.
