8 August 2020
Hi! This is Elya Pakhomova, head of media and spokesperson for Team 29.
This week we told you who were convicted of state treason and espionage in 2019 and how. And we found out that last year the number of convicted people in Russia on these charges increased in comparison with previous years. In 2020 we shall almost certainly see this dynamic continue.
The most high profile prosecution under Article 275 in 2020 has been that of Ivan Safronov, which is still in progress. To be more precise, nothing new is being found out about the charges, and, as the lawyer acting for Safronov, Ivan Pavlov, explained in detail in his column for Kommersant, nothing more will be. Pavlov explained how, for lack of weightier arguments, ‘spam’ is added to the evidential base in such cases, and why the investigation refuses to explain the charges to Ivan Safronov.
The main events in the Safronov case are now focused on the lawyers themselves – the FSB and the Ministry of Justice are seeking for them to be disciplined for refusing to sign a non-disclosure agreement regarding the preliminary investigation, which can only be considered as pressure on the journalist’s defence team.
Meanwhile, the Planeta.ru website continues to raise funds to support Safronov. Judging by the growing pressure on the defence, more resources may be needed for the case than was expected. Safronov’s relatives, friends and legal team are grateful to everyone who is ready to do their part. With your help, we have already gathered almost 30% of the target amount. We are sure that together we can collect all we need!
Get rid of spam and take care of yourselves,
Elya
Translated by Simon Cosgrove
