Human rights project “Support for political prisoners. Memorial recognized Sergei Mikhailov, editor-in-chief of the Altai newspaper LISTOK, as a political prisoner.
“He was deprived of liberty due to the publication of information about the war crimes of the Russian army in Ukraine. Mikhailov's criminal prosecution violates his right to freedom of speech. It is aimed at strengthening the control of the Russian authorities over the media, intimidating independent journalists and suppressing opponents of the war with Ukraine. We demand the immediate release of Sergei Mikhailov from custody and an end to his criminal prosecution,” the project said in a statement.
On April 13, 2022, the editorial office of Listok was searched. Searches were also carried out at the employees of the publication, equipment was confiscated from journalists. On the same day, Mikhailov was detained in Moscow and sent to Gorno-Altaisk as a suspect in a criminal case about "fakes" about the Russian army.
The reason for initiating a criminal case was the publication in "Listka" that Russian troops fired on a maternity hospital and a drama theater in Mariupol, as well as about the genocide in Bucha. The next day after the arrest, Mikhailov was sent under arrest to a pre-trial detention center.
