Russian police have taken action against prominent investigative journalist Roman Annen. Investigators ransacked Annin’s apartment in Moscow on Friday and confiscated computers, phones and other electronic devices, as well as documents.
Annin was taken to a police station for questioning. He refused to answer the questions and cited his right not to testify. He was released Friday evening, but must be summoned again on Monday.
According to the Associated Press, the case relates to research Anins conducted in 2016 against a close ally of Vladimir Putin: President Russian oil company RosneftIgor Sechin. Annin had published an article entitled “The Secret of Princess Olga” in the Novaya Gazeta newspaper, in which he criticized the government: the play brought Sechen With a luxury mega yacht, »St. Princess Olga, ”in relation. Sechin, who was deputy prime minister under Putin, filed a lawsuit against the newspaper for damage to its reputation.
“All that is happening to Roman Annin at the moment is revenge.”
Roman Annen, born in 1986, is the founder of the “Waschnye Istorii” (Important Stories) portal – one of the most important of them. Investigative Journalists in Russia. In 2020, the portal released leaked emails from Putin’s former son-in-law revealing the luxurious lifestyle of one of Putin’s daughters. Last month, Washi Astori published an article about connections between a high-ranking FSB commander and the criminal underworld.
The newspaper commented, “Everything that happens to Roman Annen now is revenge.” Novaya Gazeta Search and arrest of Moan apartment. “We will defend our friend and colleague by all legal means.”
Annen was released from police custody late Friday night. According to a report in The Guardian, he told reporters that the interrogators “took everything with them. They took all the memory cards with them, and all the computers, including those that did not belong to me.” They also confiscated phones and documents.
In 2016, he worked with Süddeutsche Zeitung on Panama Papers He revealed how one of Putin’s best friends, cellist Sergei Roldugin, carried huge sums of money abroad. “We knew the dangers – and we’re not sorry,” Annen told the Süddeutsche Zeitung at the time.