MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 29th May, 2021) Reporters Without Borders (RSF) Secretary-General Christophe Deloire on Friday welcomed the verdict by the Moscow City Court handing from 5-12 years of jail time to former police officers for their involvement in the drug-planting case against Russian investigative journalist Ivan Golunov.
Earlier in the day, five former policemen were given prison sentences � the longest one to Lt. Col. Igor Lyakhovets, the ex-head of a district police office's department for combating drug trafficking. In addition, he was deprived of his rank. All the indicted have to pay 1 million rubles ($13,600) to Golunov in a civil suit.
"We welcome an exemplary decision of� #Russian justice which has just sentenced five former police officers to heavy sentences (5 to 12 years in prison) for having hidden drugs on the investigative journalist Ivan #Golounov in order to arrest him," Deloire tweeted.
In June 2019, Golunov, known for covering corruption-related stories, was detained in Moscow while in possession of drugs that he said were planted on him by police. Charges against the reporter were later dropped amid a public backlash due to lack of evidence.
The journalist himself expressed contentment with the court's ruling.�
