MOSCOW. Sept 7 (Interfax) - St. Petersburg lawyer Ivan Pavlov, who was charged with divulging investigative secrets earlier this year, has said that he has left Russia.
"The bans imposed on me in connection with the criminal case eventually made my work impossible. I was prohibited from using means of communication and the Internet and from communicating with my client and some colleagues. In short, I was prohibited from doing everything necessary for the effective functioning of a lawyer. The ban did not apply to only one thing - the possibility of leaving the country. [...] I am now an emigrant," Pavlov said in a statement on Tuesday.
The lawyer said he is currently staying in Georgia.
The absence of a travel ban was "a sign pointing to the exit," Pavlov said.
"It took several months to find reliable lawyers, who plan to continue working in Russia, for my clients. We should give due to our procedural opponents, who have been waiting for four months without resorting to brutal measures. There actually was information about a harsher scenario that was supposed to end with arrest," he said.
Pavlov said he would be staying in Georgia for a while. "My mother was born here, my grandfather was buried here, and I lived here for three years in my childhood," he said.
Pavlov said he eventually plans to return to Russia.
"What's more, I'm planning to continue the work due to which I have been forced to leave my country. Although I temporarily have to live abroad, I link my present and my future with Russia. I will be back. And for now, I will focus on my new projects and will be preparing to continue my work, as they say, from home," Pavlov said.
In April 2021, Pavlov was charged with divulging investigative secrets in the case of his defendant, advisor to the head of Roscosmos and journalist Ivan Safronov, who has been accused of high treason.
Investigators believe that the lawyer unlawfully arranged the publication of the order to designate Safronov a defendant and told the press about a secret witness in the journalist's case.
Pavlov pleaded not guilty and described the accusations as unfounded. He said he told the press about violations of the law in Safronov's regard.
A court imposed restrictions on certain actions by Pavlov. For instance, the lawyer was prohibited from sending and receiving mail and using means of communication and the Internet. There was no travel ban, however.
St. Petersburg lawyer Pavlov specialized in the defense of persons charged with crimes against national security, including high treason and espionage.
His clients include Safronov and former Inter RAO top manager Karina Tsurkan. He also represented entities founded by Russian opposition activist Alexei Navalny, which were designated as foreign agents, banned in Russia, and liquidated as extremist organizations.