Jailed Novaya Gazeta journalist Oleg Roldugin moved to house arrest

A Moscow judge has granted a request from investigators to ease the preventive measures imposed on Novaya Gazeta journalist Oleg Roldugin and place him on house arrest, the newspaper reports.

Investigators noted that Roldugin has minor children and elderly parents who depend on him, and that he has partially admitted guilt.

Roldugin was detained on 9 April following a search of his home by Russian security forces, which coincided with a 13-hour search of the Novaya Gazeta newsroom in Moscow. The following day, he was charged with “illegally accessing computer information” as part of a group and placed in pre-trial detention.

The case marked the first known instance of Russian law enforcement applying personal data statutes to media workers in connection with reporting based on leaked information. Previously, the law had been used only against administrators of leak databases and security officials accused of leaking data.

Roldugin had published investigations into the inner circle of Chechnya Governor Ramzan Kadyrov and into the creators of Russia’s state messaging app, Max.