Policing the Police

Something virtually unprecedented happened this winter: five Russian policemen were arrested and charged with purchasing illegal drugs, planting them on an innocent man, and then arresting him on suspicion of drug trafficking, a charge that could have landed him in jail for up to a decade.

The case against the officers took everyone by surprise. By January, when the arrests were made, more than six months had passed since the explosive case against journalist Ivan Golunov, the innocent man targeted by the officers.

Through an incredible turn of events, Golunov was freed within days. But to see officers actually held accountable, facing a trial that could expose the way policemen systematically abuse their powers with impunity – this was something utterly unprecedented.