An award-winning journalist who exposed voting fraud during Russia’s parliamentary elections has himself been arrested for alleged fraud. Denis Korotkov, a correspondent for the independent news website Fontanka, was scheduled to appear in court in St Petersburg on Wednesday on charges of “illegally obtaining a ballot”. But campaigners say Mr Korotkov was working undercover to expose vote rigging in the Duma elections, which have provoked international concern, and is now being harassed for his work. Mr Korotkov documented how he posed as a voter on 18 September and was given a sticker by polling station officials, who then arranged for him to be transported around St Petersburg with others to cast multiple ballots for specified candidates.
The paid practice, known as “carousel” voting, has been documented in previous Russian and Soviet elections and was raised as a concern by monitors at the Organisation for Security and Co-Operation in Europe (OSCE).
After receiving four votes, Mr Korotkov said he revealed his identity and was detained by police and charged with the “illegal issuing and receiving of ballots”, punishable by a fine of up to 3,000 rubles (£36) according to local reports.
The Committee to Protect Journalists is among the groups demanding the journalist’s immediate release. “We call on Saint Petersburg authorities to drop all charges against Denis Korotkov immediately and to allow him to do his job without fear of harassment,” its Europe and Central Asia Program Coordinator Nina Ognianova said.
Full Article: Russian journalist arrested for ‘illegal’ voting after exposing fraud in Duma elections | The Independent.