Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Tuesday that he did not know of any discussions about making potential changes to the Russian Criminal Code article on the possession and distribution of drugs, clarifying that such discussions should be organized at the expert level if they were, in fact, happening
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 11th June, 2019) Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Tuesday that he did not know of any discussions about making potential changes to the Russian Criminal Code article on the possession and distribution of drugs, clarifying that such discussions should be organized at the expert level if they were, in fact, happening.Article 228 of the Russian Criminal Code on "Illegal Acquisition, Storage, Transportation, Making or Processing of Narcotic Drugs" has recently been making headlines in the Russian media due to a case involving investigative journalist Ivan Golunov, who was charged with large-scale possession of narcotics with the intent to sell, which is a serious crime in Russia. Golunov has insisted the drugs in question were planted by police officers who were likely acting on behalf of the targets of his latest investigation.
"I know nothing about it [the discussion], I can find it out but I am not familiar with this information. If it is ongoing, it should be held at the expert level," Peskov told reporters, asked whether there were some talks held about canceling or amending the article on possession and distribution of drugs.
Asked about the statistics on such cases, Peskov stressed that it was first necessary to wait for some certainty about Golunov's case, especially since this certainty was promised soon.
According to Peskov, Russian President Vladimir Putin was aware of Golunov's situation.
"The president can talk to all the ministers several times a day. Everything you see on the tv screens or in news agencies is just the tip of the iceberg of the president's working day," Peskov said.
Police detained Golunov, who is known for investigating alleged corruption among officials, on Thursday after finding in his possession five packages of a powdery substance that turned out to be mephedrone, a synthetic stimulant. Later, cocaine was found in Golunov's apartment in Moscow. The reporter was put under house arrest by a court on Saturday despite him maintaining that the drugs were planted.
Soon after his detention, the Russian Interior Ministry released several photos allegedly proving Golunov's links to drug trafficking. While the ministry did say that the photographs were shot at his apartment, it later admitted that only one photo was taken there, and that the others had been taken in other locations that the police searched while investigating a drug trafficking case. Later, the ministry stressed that Golunov was suspected of being linked to the case.
According to Peskov, the Kremlin believes it is too early to make any sweeping conclusions about society's and media's distrust in the police with regard to Golunov's situation, but that it is closely monitoring the situation.
