Russia targets lawyer over media comments on treason case

Russian authorities have launched a criminal probe against a lawyer representing a former Russian journalist accused of treason and the team of imprisoned opposition leader Alexei Navalny

MOSCOW -- Russian authorities have launched a criminal probe against a lawyer representing a former Russian journalist accused of treason and the team of imprisoned opposition leader Alexei Navalny, accusing him of disclosing information related to a police investigation. St. Petersburg-based lawyer Ivan Pavlov told reporters Friday he was formally charged with the criminal offense, punishable by a fine, community service or detention of up to three months, after his Moscow hotel room was raided on Friday morning and he was summoned to Russia's Investigative Committee for interrogation. Pavlov was ordered to appear in a Moscow court later on Friday for a hearing on pre-trial restrictions. According to the court's press service, the authorities are seeking to bar Pavlov from using the internet and communicating with witnesses in his criminal case. Pavlov's colleague, Yevgeny Smirnov, had reported that the lawyer was detained. But Pavlov's spokesperson, Yelizaveta Alexandrova-Zorina, later clarified to The Associated Press that Pavlov formally wasn't arrested even though he was de-facto detained in his hotel room during the search.