Four More Journalists Held In Moscow At Unapproved Protest Against Safronov's Arrest

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 07th July, 2020) Another four journalists were detained in Moscow on Tuesday while protesting treason charges against their former colleague and space agency official, Ivan Safronov.

This brought to eight the number of detentions at the rally, which was not coordinated with city authorities, that followed the start of a probe into the ex-military and defense reporter for the Kommersant newspaper, a Sputnik correspondent said.

Among those arrested for what the Moscow police said was an unauthorized protest are four current and one former Kommersant employees.

Safronov has been serving as information adviser to the chief of the Russian space agency Roscosmos since May.

The national security agency FSB said he had been passing state secrets to a NATO country.

Kommersant called charges against Safronov absurd, saying he was a true patriot. Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov and Roscosmos denied that his arrest was linked to his prior job as a journalist or his current one at the space agency.

A source in the Russian legal circles told Sputnik that Safronov could have his jail term commuted to what he spends in custody if he is cooperative and prosecutors find no proof of high treason, which carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison.