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world news Diahuebs 29 Juli 2021

Russian police raid home of investigative journalist

(AP) — Police in Russia
raided the home of the
chief editor of an investi-
gative news site that was
recently designated as a
“foreign agent,” the lat-
est move by authorities to
raise the pressure on inde-
pendent media before the
country’s September par-
liamentary election.
The Insider news site chief
editor Roman Dobrokho-
tov tweeted Wednesday that
“police are knocking” on
his apartment door, and his that The Insider will con- shut down, citing the loss other reporters as foreign websites linked to the im-
wife reported the raid to the tinue to exist. Investigations of advertisers, and Meduza agents. prisoned opposition leader
OVD-Info legal aid group will be released even if I am launched a crowd-funding Navalny. The move comes
before her phone became un- arrested. If they hope to halt campaign after encountering Russia used the law to levy just a month after a court in
available. the work of the news site, the same problem. heavy fines on U.S.-funded Moscow outlawed Navalny’s
they hope in vain.” broadcaster Radio Free Eu- political infrastructure —
A lawyer from another legal The Insider was the latest ad- rope/Radio Liberty for fail- his Foundation for Fighting
aid group, Pravozashchita Russian opposition support- dition to the list. The news ing to identify its material as Corruption and a network of
Otkrytki, headed to Do- ers, independent journalists outlet, which is registered in produced by foreign agents. regional offices — as extrem-
brokhotov’s apartment. The and human rights activists Latvia, has worked with the The broadcaster has asked ist in a ruling that prevents
group said police seized cell- have faced increased govern- investigative group Belling- the European Court of Hu- people associated with the
phones, laptops and tablets ment pressure ahead of the cat to investigate high-profile man Rights to intervene. groups from seeking public
during the raid, as well as Sept. 19 vote, which is widely cases, such as the nerve agent office and exposes them to
Dobrokhotov’s international seen as an important part of poisonings of former Russian According to The Insider, lengthy prison terms.
passport. Sergei Yezhov, a President Vladimir Putin’s spy Sergei Sripal and Russian the searches targeting Do-
journalist with The Insider, efforts to cement his rule opposition leader Alexei Na- brokhotov may be related to a Navalny, Putin’s fiercest po-
said Dobrokhotov was sup- before the 2024 presidential valny. slander case launched in April litical foe, was arrested in
posed to travel outside of election. following a complaint by a January upon returning from
Russia on Wednesday. The Russian Justice Minis- Dutch blogger. The Insider Germany, where he spent
The 68-year-old Russian try acted under a law that is accused Max van der Werff of five months recovering from
Police also raided the home leader, who has been in used to designate as foreign working with Russian intel- a nerve agent poisoning that
of Dobrokhotov’s parents, power for more than two de- agents non-governmental ligence and military services he blames on the Kremlin
The Insider said. After the cades, pushed through con- organizations, media outlets to spread false information — an accusation rejected by
searches, Dobrokhotov was stitutional changes last year and individuals who receive challenging the findings of Russian officials.
taken to a police precinct that would potentially allow foreign funding and engage the official investigation into
for questioning and then re- him to hold onto power until in activities loosely described the downing of Malaysia Air- In February, the politician
leased. 2036. as political. lines Flight 17 over eastern was ordered to serve 2½ years
Ukraine, which killed all 298 in prison for violating a sus-
He told reporters outside the In recent months, the gov- Another law is used to out- people on board. pended sentence from a 2014
precinct that The Insider will ernment has designated law groups deemed “undesir- embezzlement conviction
continue to operate despite several independent media able” and makes membership The legal aid group said Do- that he dismissed as politi-
the pressure from authori- outlets and journalists as in them a criminal offense. brokhotov was a witness in cally motivated.
ties. “foreign agents” — a label It has been used to ban 41 a criminal case against “un-
that implies additional gov- groups, including opposition identified persons” on the His arrest and jailing sparked
“It will become more diffi- ernment scrutiny and carries groups, foreign NGOs and charges of slander, launched a wave of mass protests across
cult to work now. I don’t have strong pejorative connota- most recently, the publisher over a tweet in Dobrokho- Russia in what appeared to
cell phones, I can’t travel and tions that could discredit the of Proekt, an online investi- tov’s account that contains be a major challenge to the
meet my colleagues — many recipients. gative media outlet. “disinformation about the Kremlin. The authorities re-
of our investigations are in- downed Boeing MH-17.” sponded with mass arrests
ternational,” Dobrokhotov The targeted outlets in- The Justice Ministry last of demonstrators and crimi-
said. “And, of course, it’s se- clude VTimes and Medu- week also designated two Earlier this week, Russian nal probes against Navalny’s
rious pressure. But it’s clear za. VTimes subsequently Proekt journalists and three authorities blocked about 50 closest associates.

Equatorial Guinea's VP loses embezzlement appeal in France

(AP) — France’s top court Teodoro Nguema Obiang peal this week, according to is no longer a land of wel- clothes, artworks of great val-
on Wednesday upheld the Mangue, the son of Equato- the anti-corruption groups come for money embezzled ue and high-end real estate.
conviction of Equatorial rial Guinea’s long-serving that filed the original legal by foreign leaders and their
Guinea’s vice president president, was originally complaint against him 14 entourage,” said Patrick Le- Despite its oil and gas riches,
for money laundering and convicted in 2017 by a Paris years ago. fas, head of Transparency Equatorial Guinea has a dra-
embezzling millions of court. The court handed him International France, an anti- matic gap between its privi-
dollars in public money. a three-year suspended sen- Obiang claimed he has im- corruption watchdog. leged ruling class and much
tence, fined him 30 million munity from prosecution of the population, which
The ill-gotten gains are now euros and ordered property and didn’t appear for the Obiang was accused of thrives mainly on subsistence
to be returned to the central in France worth tens of mil- French court proceedings. spending tens of millions of farming. The former Spanish
African country’s population lions of euros seized. His lawyers challenged the dollars in France with funds colony is run by Africa’s lon-
under a new French legal jurisdiction of French courts stemming from corruption, gest-serving president, Obi-
procedure that seeks to en- An appeals court upheld in the case. embezzlement and extortion ang’s father Teodoro Obiang
sure the money doesn’t again the conviction in 2020, and in his country. He has led a Nguema Mbasogo.
fall into corrupt hands. France’s Court of Cassation “With this decision, French lavish lifestyle involving lux-
threw out Obiang’s final ap- justice confirms that France ury and sports cars, designer