Journalist Golunov wins 1.5 million ruble payout for emotional damages against Russia’s Interior Ministry

A Moscow court has ruled for Ivan Golunov, a journalist, in his lawsuit against Russia’s Interior Ministry, and awarded emotional damages in the amount of 1.5 million rubles (€22.750), Golunov’s lawyer Sergey Badamshin and Interfax report.

“The legal claim has been partly sustained,” says the court’s PR office.

The initial claim was 5 million rubles against the ex-policemen found guilty of unlawful persecution of Golunov, the journalist has told Interfax.

He also said as he spoke to MSK1 that he considered an earlier verdict for the five ex-policemen a true victory, and that “the main victory would be a verdict for the masterminds”.

Ivan Golunov, a special correspondent for Meduza, was detained in June 2019, suspected of attempted drug trafficking. The law enforcers claimed that they had confiscated packages containing an illegal substance from the journalist. Golunov said the substance was planted on him to frame him up. The case sparked enormous public outcry, and Russia’s Interior Minister Vladimir Kolokoltsev declared on 11 June 2019 that the case had been dismissed due to lack of evidence.

Five law enforcers, allegedly involved in planting the drugs, were convicted by court in May 2021. The ex-operatives Roman Feofanov, Akbar Sergaliyev, Denis konovalov, Maxim Umetbayev, and their chief Igor Lyakhovets were found guilty of abuse of rank and fabrication of evidence.