The OSCE representative on freedom of the media expressed hope on Wednesday that the arrest of Russian space agency official Ivan Safronov, suspected of handing over defense secrets to a foreign intelligence service, has no connection with his previous work as a journalist
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 08th July, 2020) The OSCE representative on freedom of the media expressed hope on Wednesday that the arrest of Russian space agency official Ivan Safronov, suspected of handing over defense secrets to a foreign intelligence service, has no connection with his previous work as a journalist.
On Tuesday, a Moscow court ordered two months in pre-trial detention for Safronov, an adviser to the Roscosmos chief. According to Safronov's lawyer, investigators accuse his client, who denies the high treason claims against him, of passing information regarding Russia's defense cooperation with Africa and Russia's military activities in the middle East to Czech special services. The US is believed to have been the ultimate recipient of the secret data.
"Concerned by detention of Ivan Safronov, ex-journalist with @kommersant & @Vedomosti, arrested for 2 months in #Russia. Hope the arrest is not linked to his past important media reports and investigations. I will continue to closely follow the case," Harlem Desir wrote on Twitter.
Safronov has been serving as information adviser to the Roscosmos chief since May. Roscosmos said that the detention was not related to his work for the space agency. Before Roscosmos, Safronov worked for Kommersant and Vedomosti newspapers for 10 years, covering topics related to defense and space industries. Kommersant has dismissed the high treason accusations against Safronov as absurd, calling the latter a true patriot.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that Safronov's case appears to have nothing to do with his previous journalistic work.
