Journalist Sokolov involved in extremist organization case arrested until Sept 22
MOSCOW. July 30 (Interfax) - The Khamovnichesky District Court in Moscow has sanctioned the arrest of RBC journalist Alexander Sokolov, former editor of the Duel newspaper Yuri Mukhin and his associate Valery Parfenov in an extremism case.
"The court granted a motion filed by the investigators to arrest these citizens until September 22," spokesperson of the court Vera Fokeyeva told Interfax on Thursday.
The arrestees are involved in the case on organizing the activity of an extremist organization, she said.
Representative of the RBC holding, Zlata Nikolayeva, confirmed the journalist had been detained and told Interfax that currently the company "is dealing with legal aspects of the arrest of its employee."
It was reported that in 2010 the Moscow city court granted a petition filed by the Moscow prosecutor to recognize the interregional public movement "Army of People's Will" extremist and ban its activity.
Meanwhile, the Main Investigation Directorate of the Russian Investigative Committee for Moscow said the investigators' theory was that since 2011 Sokolov had been an administrator of a website engaged in the holding of a referendum which had the same goals and tasks as the banned organization.
"On the said website Sokolov has propagated the banned extremist movement," the Moscow directorate of the Investigative Committee said in a statement posted at its website on Thursday.