Prohibition on investigations. How Russian authorities have been persecuting independent media in recent months

At about seven in the morning on July 28, security forces came to search the apartment of Roman Dobrokhotov, editor-in-chief of the investigative media outlet The Insider , as well as his parents. The search was carried out in a case of alleged libel due to a Twitter post published in November 2020. At the end of 2020, the article on libel (Article 128.1 of the Criminal Code) was tightened and now provides for imprisonment. But the tweet on Dobrokhotov’s account appeared before the law was tightened, when libel was punishable by a fine or forced labor.

During the searches, Dobrokhotov’s laptop, phones and tablets were confiscated. The security forces also took away my international passport, on the grounds that it was an item allegedly related to a criminal case. With all this, the journalist is a witness in a criminal case.