A prominent journalist from the Meduza news website who investigates corruption has been detained in Moscow on charges of drug trafficking, the website reported on Friday. Police apprehended special correspondent Ivan Golunov in central Moscow on Thursday afternoon and retrieved a bag containing an unknown substance from his backpack, Meduza cited his lawyer as saying. Golunov denied that the bag belongs to him.

Police refused Golunov’s request to call his lawyer, Dmitry Dzhulai, as he was being detained, Dzhulai said. At the police station, Dzhulai said officers dragged Golunov across the floor and at least one punched him in the face and kicked him in the chest. The officers refused to call an ambulance afterward, Meduza reported. Police also refused to take swabs of Golunov’s fingernails and backpack to check if he had touched the alleged substance.

Interior Ministry of Russia