WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 09th July, 2020) The US Department of State told Sputnik that it was troubled by the treason case of Russian space agency official Ivan Safronov, calling it an attack on the freedom of media in Russia.
On Tuesday, a Moscow court ordered two months in pre-trial detention for Safronov, a former journalist and an adviser to the Roscosmos chief. According to Safronov's lawyer, his client is being accused of passing information about Russia's defense cooperation with Africa and its military activities in the middle East to Czech special services. The United States is believed to have been the ultimate recipient of the secret data. Safronov denies the high treason claims against him.
"We are troubled by what appears to be a concerted campaign against media freedom in Russia. The United States considers freedom of expression and an independent media to be critical components of any vibrant, functioning democracy," a spokesperson for the Department of State told Sputnik on late Wednesday.
Roscosmos said that the detention was unrelated to the official's work for the space agency. Before getting a post in Roscosmos in May, Safronov worked for Russian Kommersant and Vedomosti newspapers for 10 years, covering topics related to defense and space industries. Kommersant has dismissed the high treason accusations against the ex-reporter 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.
