The Kremlin is aware of the detention of Ivan Pavlov, a lawyer defending Roscosmos official Ivan Safronov in his treason case, but does not know the reasons behind it or any other details, spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Friday
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 30th April, 2021) The Kremlin is aware of the detention of Ivan Pavlov, a lawyer defending Roscosmos official Ivan Safronov in his treason case, but does not know the reasons behind it or any other details, spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Friday.
The lawyer, who is also defending opposition activist Alexey Navalny's Anti-Corruption Foundation (recognized as a foreign agent in Russia), was detained in Moscow on Friday morning over what investigators believe to be "disclosure of data related to a preliminary investigation." He was detained upon arrival from St. Petersburg for a hearing in the treason case of Safronov, an adviser to the head of Russian space agency Roscosmos and a former military journalist.
"We know about this [detention] from media reports, but are not following the situation closely as we do not have information. We do not know the reason for this detention, nor how it happened, nor what this lawyer is being accused of. This is not our prerogative," Peskov told reporters.
Pavlov confirmed to Sputnik that he was summoned for questioning to the investigative committee concerning the Safronov case.
"My charges are connected with the Safronov case," he said, stressing that he firmly denies all accusations of disclosing the information from the investigation.
Earlier in the day, Pavlov's associates reported that the lawyer's Moscow hotel and his wife's apartment in St. Petersburg were searched.
If the lawyer is found guilty, the punishment may include a fine, a period of compulsory or corrective labor, or detention for up to three months.
