Moscow police arrested Doxa editor Armen Aramyan as he was leaving the Investigative Committee’s headquarters on Tuesday, September 29, the student journal reported.
According to lawyer Leonid Solovyov from the rights group Agora, police officers detained Aramyan in order to draw up misdemeanor charges against him. Where the police took the student journalist remains unknown, Doxa said. The publication didn’t specify the accusations brought against Aramyan.
Update. Leonid Solovyov located Armen Aramyan at the Tverskoy District Police Station, Doxa reported. The lawyer also found out that he is being charged with a misdemeanor under Administrative Code Article 20.2, section 2 (violating the procedure for holding a meeting or rally). This is punishable by up to 10 days in jail.
Armen Aramyan and three other Doxa journalists — Alla Gutnikova, Vladimir Metelkin, and Natalya Tyshkevich — are facing felony charges for allegedly involving minors in illegal protests. In April, they were all placed under de facto house arrest pending trial and banned from using communication devices, or communicating with anyone except their lawyers and close relatives. A Moscow court later eased the preventive measures against them slightly, allowing them to leave their homes for two hours per day.