Criminal case on discrediting militaries opened against Valery Badmaev, journalist from Kalmykia

Valery Badmaev, the editor-in-chief of the "Sovremennaya Kalmykia" outlet, has become a suspect within a criminal case of discrediting Russian militaries; the court forbade him to use the Internet, telephone and mail.

The "OVD-Info"* human rights project has reported that on December 9, law enforcers detained Badmaev. The 72-year-old journalist was charged with an administrative article about discrediting the army, the "Activatika" project of activists and journalists has reported. According to the project, later it became known that Badmaev was accused of public calls for extremism.

The court has chosen a preventive measure for Badmaev in the form of a ban on certain actions for a period of 1 month and 29 days – until February 8, 2023. He is forbidden to leave his apartment from 22 p.m. to 6 a.m. Moscow time, use the telephone, Internet, mail, and communicate with the persons recognized as witnesses and victims in the criminal case.

The criminal case under the article on discrediting the army was initiated because of the repost of a video about the shelling of Mariupol, a relative of Badmaev told the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.

More than 20 people came to support the journalist in the court, mostly activists of the Congress of the Oirat-Kalmyk People, said Nikolai Shevenov, a participant in the congress.

Let us remind you that on April 4, 2022, the court fined Badmaev under an article on discrediting the army for posting a video in a social network.