Editor-in-chief of Russian news outlet arrested in Latvia
Marat Kasem from Sputnik Lithuania has been reportedly accused of espionage and could face up to 20 years behind bars | Latvia has arrested the editor-in-chief of the Lithuanian branch of the Russian news agency, Sputnik. Marat Kasem was taken into custody on a court order, his lawyer announced on Thursday. ● The journalist is accused of breaching EU sanctions and has been charged with espionage, Sputnik reports. ● Kasem is a Latvian citizen, though he has been living in Moscow for several years, working for the Rossiya Segodnya media group, which Sputnik Lithuania is part of. He returned to Latvia for family reasons before New Year's eve.
■ Arrest of Russian outlet’s journalist is blow to press freedom – Moscow (RT.com)