The investigation refused to dismiss the case against DOXA editors

The Investigative Committee rejected the defense's request in the case of the editors of the student magazine DOXA to terminate the criminal prosecution. DOXA reports this on its Telegram channel.

The petition, as well as linguistic and medical examinations, were sent by the lawyer of the Agora International Human Rights Group, Leonid Solovyov. The defense attorney insisted that the documents indicate that there was no crime in the actions of DOXA editors Armen Aramyan, Natasha Tyshkevich, Vladimir Metelkin and Alla Gutnikova.

The magazine's editors are accused of involving minors in activities that are dangerous to them (Article 151.2 of the Criminal Code).

Previously, DOXA published the arguments of the defense - according to them, the video for which the defendants are being prosecuted does not have a criminal component. Thus, from the case materials it follows that investigators interrogated 12 teenagers detained at the protests on January 23, and not one of them mentioned the DOXA video.

Another argument is that both an independent linguistic examination and an examination commissioned by the Investigative Committee could not confirm the version that the editors of DOXA wanted to attract teenagers to “commit actions that pose a danger to their lives.”

The indictment also states that Aramyan, Tyshkevich, Metelkin and Gutnikova encouraged minors to participate in rallies “during a pandemic of a disease that poses a danger to people’s lives and health.” The lawyer cited the arguments of Doctor of Medical Sciences Alexei Erlikh that participation in the January protests did not pose a risk to life if the necessary precautions were observed.

In response to this, the investigation stated that Ehrlich is a cardiologist, and the reliability of his testimony “raises reasonable doubt.” Moreover, in fact, by specialty he is an anesthesiologist-resuscitator and works as the head of the intensive care unit.

“The arguments that are stated there are very poorly aligned with the law. In my opinion, this is a common reluctance to accept documents. We will appeal this decision, but a little later, when the case is transferred to the prosecutor’s office,” DOXA quotes lawyer Leonid Solovyov as saying.

• On the morning of April 14, four journalists from the student publication DOXA - Armen Aramyan, Alla Gutnikova, Vladimir Metelkin and Natasha Tyshkevich - were searched. After that, they were taken for interrogation to the Investigative Committee, and then to the court for a hearing to select a preventive measure: all four were given a ban on certain actions with strict restrictions. In fact, defendants can only leave the house for interrogations and two hours a day for walks. On June 9, the preventive measure was extended until September.
• In addition to the accused themselves, about 25 more former and current DOXA employees have been summoned or are planning to be summoned for questioning.
• A criminal case was opened because of a DOXA video in which the publication’s participants addressed students - they urged them not to be afraid of threats of expulsion for participating in rallies. Subsequently, the magazine's editors deleted this video at the request of Roskomnadzor. Under the same article, a case was opened against the former head of Alexei Navalny’s headquarters network, Leonid Volkov. According to investigators, after Volkov published the video “How can we get Navalny out of prison,” DOXA employees, against the backdrop of active discussions on social networks, had an intention “to support the above calls and create their own publications.” Initially, Volkov and the DOXA editors were involved in the same case, but later the editors’ case was separated into separate proceedings.