Russian journalist Sergey Mingazov has been under house arrest since April 26, 2024, on charges of spreading “fake” information about the Russian army.
Mingazov, a news editor with the Russian edition of Forbes magazine, also covers news on Russia’s Far East on his personal Telegram channel Khabarovskaya Mingazeta, which had more than 400 subscribers at the time of his arrest.”
Mingazov was detained in the city of Khabarovsk in Russia’s Far East on charges of spreading “fake” information about the Russian army over three posts on Khabarovskaya Mingazeta about the massacre of civilians in the Ukrainian town of Bucha in 2022, according to the journalist’s lawyer, Konstantin Bubon, who spoke to CPJ.
On April 27, a court in Khabarovsk placed Mingazov under house arrest for two months to await trial. The court also banned him from using the internet and restricted his communications with family, investigators, lawyers, and doctors.
If convicted, Mingazov could be jailed for up to 10 years under Article 207.3 of Russia’s criminal code, which was amended after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022 to include lengthy sentences for spreading false news about the army.
Bubon told CPJ that Mingazov’s case was directly linked to his journalistic work and that authorities had seized the journalist’s electronic devices, as well as computers and phones belonging to his wife and children, while searching his apartment before taking him for further questioning.
Mingazov’s case was sent to court in July 2024. His house arrest was last extended on November 7, until January 8, 2025.
Mingazov has hypertension, gastritis, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and diabetes, according to independent media outlet Takie Dela.
In late 2024, CPJ emailed the Khabarovsk branch of Russia’s Investigative Committee for comment but received no response.