World News | Russia puts ex-Putin speechwriter on wanted list

MOSCOW, March 24 (AP) — Russian police have put President Vladimir Putin’s former speechwriter on a wanted list of criminal suspects, the latest in a sweeping crackdown on dissent.

Abbas Gallyamov wrote speeches for Putin when the Russian leader was prime minister from 2008-12.

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Galyamov went on to become an outspoken political consultant and analyst, often quoted by Russian and foreign media.

In recent years, he has been living abroad.

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On Friday, Russian news outlets and Associated Press reporters discovered that Galliamov was listed in an Interior Ministry database.

His entry said he was wanted “in connection with the provisions of the penal code,” but did not include the laws he was accused of violating.

Russia’s justice ministry added Gallyamov to its roster of foreign agents last month, a designation that brings additional government scrutiny and carries strong derogatory connotations designed to undermine the recipient’s credibility.

The ministry said Galliamov “distributed to an unlimited range of people material produced by foreign agents, publicly opposed Ukrainian special military operations, (and) participated as an expert and interviewee on information platforms provided by foreign agencies.”

Galliamov told The Associated Press on Friday that he learned from the media that he was on the wanted list. He has not been contacted by law enforcement agencies, so he does not know what charges he faces in Russia.

“I think formally it’s a crime of defaming the military,” Galliamov said in a telephone interview.

“It’s being used against anyone who refuses to zoom in on the Kremlin playbook and try to get an objective, unbiased analysis of what’s going on.”

Under a new law passed after Russia sends troops to Ukraine in February 2022, defaming the Russian armed forces becomes a crime. Critics of the Kremlin are routinely charged under the law.

Galliamov described the move against him as part of a “intimidation tactic” by the Russian government.

“It’s not trying to get close to me — it’s not possible. It’s a message for other people,” he said.

“Like, don’t criticize, don’t think you’re going to go unpunished for your independent view of what’s going on.” (AP)

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from a Syndicated News feed, the content body may not have been modified or edited by LatestLY staff)