Russian investigators plan to interrogate ‘Doxa’ editor-in-chief 24 times in 36 days

Between April 19 and May 24, Russian investigators plan to interrogate Doxa editor-in-chief Armen Aramyan 24 times. Aramyan is currently under house arrest on suspicion of involving minors in unauthorized protests. 

Aramyan’s lawyer, Leonid Solovyov, shared the corresponding notice from the Russian Investigative Committee’s Central Investigation Department with human rights activist Pavel Chikov.

According to the document, which Chikov wrote about on Telegram, Aramyan is expected to report to investigators every weekday at 10:00 a.m. from April 19 to May 24, so they can “carry out investigative and procedural actions in the criminal case.”

Chikov added that it’s possible that the lawyers representing the other defendants in the Doxa case will receive the similar notices.

Four editors from the student journal Doxa are facing felony charges for allegedly involving minors in illegal protest actions: Armen Aramyan, Alla Gutnikova, Vladimir Metelkin, and Natalya (Natasha) Tyshkevich. Criminal proceedings were launched against them over a video in which they condemned the persecution of students protesting in support of jailed opposition politician Alexey Navalny.

On Wednesday, April 14, a Moscow court took preventive measures against all four editors, placing them under 24-hour house arrest until June 14 and prohibiting them using the Internet and other means of communications to talk to anyone except their lawyers and close relatives. 

More than 250 academics from around the world have signed a solidarity statement in support of Doxa, calling for all charges against the student journal’s editors to be dropped and an end to the harassment of students.