Lawyer: ex-chief editor of BlogSochi Alexander Valov was beaten and transferred to another colony

Lawyer Mikhail Benyash wrote in his Telegram channel that his client, ex-chief editor of BlogSochi Alexander Valov, was beaten. The man told his lawyer about this at a meeting where he was assigned administrative supervision after his release.

Benyash said that after this he sent several complaints and a request to correctional colony No. 14 in the Irkutsk region: the defense lawyer asked to provide him with documents about Valov’s disciplinary sanctions.

“Today I received an answer that he was transferred with his personal file to another colony “for treatment.” And here the question arises: to undergo treatment for what?” - the lawyer wrote. He published a response from the administration of IK-14: it follows that on January 24, Valov was transferred to IK-6 in the Irkutsk region.

In November 2022, it became known that the colony administration sent the blogger to a punishment cell and transferred him to strict conditions of detention. Before this, the defense hoped for parole, since the journalist had recently worked in the prison library.

• In 2018, Valov was sentenced to six years in prison and a fine of 700 thousand rubles in the case of extortion (clause “g” of Part 2 of Article 163 of the Criminal Code) from State Duma deputy from the LDPR Yuri Napso. According to the prosecution, the journalist demanded 300 thousand rubles from the official: in exchange, he allegedly promised to remove articles from the BlogSochi portal about Napso owning a swimming pool on a Sochi public beach.
• Before this, it became known that the FSB was tapping Valov’s phone and reading his mail. The defense found the corresponding court permission in the materials of the criminal case. The court decision allowing security forces to wiretap Valov states that the editor-in-chief of the BlogSochi publication is a participant in protests and his public statements show signs of calls for extremist activity.