Ivan Golunov: Russian journalist who investigated political corruption detained for ‘drug dealing’

Reporter received threats in connection with story he was working on, his employers say

Ivan Golunov at a police station in Moscow in a photo taken and released by Meduza (AP)

A prominent Russian journalist who investigated corruption among Moscow city officials has been detained by police and accused of drug dealing.

Moscow police said Ivan Golunov, 36, was arrested with four grams of the synthetic stimulant mephedrone on him.

His employer, the online news portal Meduza, said he was on his way to a meeting with a source.

In a statement, police said a search of Mr Golunov’s apartment found more drugs and some scales, and they had opened a criminal investigation.

If found guilty of large-scale drug selling, he could be jailed for 10 to 20 years.

Dmitry Djulai, Mr Golunov’s lawyer, told Reuters he believed the police had planted the drugs on his client in order to frame him.

He said Mr Golunov had been beaten, and police had refused to take swabs from his hands or rucksack, or to take fingernail samples to see if he had been in contact with drugs.

The editorial management of Meduza, which is based in Latvia, said in a statement that Mr Golunov was beaten while in detention and denied medical tests that would show he has not handled drugs.

The site said he had recently received threats linked to a story he was pursing and it was “convinced” of his innocence.

“Moreover, we have grounds to believe that Golunov is being persecuted because of his journalistic activity,” the statement read.

Moscow police attached nine photos to its statement about Mr Golunov’s detention, some of which showed what appeared to be a makeshift drugs lab at his home.

Alexander Urzhanov, a friend, said he had been to Mr Golunov’s apartment and the pictures of the drugs lab were not taken there.

Mr Djulai, Mr Golunov’s lawyer, said the police had also refused to call medics to catalogue the injuries the police had inflicted.

Moscow police said the allegations Mr Golunov had been beaten after he was arrested “do not correspond to reality”.