State prosecutors seek between 7 and 16 years in prison for ex-police officers accused in Golunov case
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State prosecutors have asked the Moscow City Court to give prison sentences ranging from 7 to 16 years to the former police officers accused of fabricating a criminal case against Meduza correspondent Ivan Golunov, a lawyer representing one of the accused told Interfax on Tuesday, April 27.
Lawyer Alexey Gubkin, who represents defendant Denis Konovalov, said state prosecutors are seeking a seven-year prison sentence for his client, who pleaded guilty. In addition, they’re seeking a 16-year prison sentence for Igor Lyakhovets, the key figure involved in Ivan Golunov’s illegal arrest, as well as 12-year sentences for his former subordinates Roman Feofanov, Maxim Umetbaev, and Akbar Sergaliev.
The Moscow City Court’s deliberations are taking place behind closed doors, reported Golunov’s lawyer, Sergey Badamshin, from the human rights group “Pravozaschita Otkrytki.” At the time of writing, Badamshin had yet to comment on the prison terms the prosecutors have requested.
(1) The Golunov case
Meduza special correspondent Ivan Golunov was arrested in Moscow on June 6, 2019, on suspicion of attempted drug trafficking. He maintained that he wasn’t guilty and insisted that the drugs had been planted on him. Following a large-scale public campaign in support of Golunov, the criminal case against the journalist was dropped on June 11. Golunov has since become a victim in the case, in which he was previously a defendant.