The former editor-in-chief of the Ura.ru news agency has miscarried her 6-month-old daughter after weeks of questioning in connection with several criminal investigations, prominent doctor Yelizaveta Glinka said.
"Aksana Panova was supposed to give birth to a girl," Glinka, better known as "Dr. Liza," said on her LiveJournal page late Saturday. "The parents were eagerly waiting for her to be born. The pregnancy was difficult, but that didn't stop investigators from repeatedly questioning the expectant mother."
She said investigators started harassing Panova when the child was 16 weeks old and their tactics included searches of Ura.ru's office and Panova's home, intimidation and threats.
"The child died today," Glinka said, adding that she was 27 weeks old.
Investigators have opened four criminal cases against Panova and Ura.ru, a Yekaterinburg-based news agency, on suspicion of extortion and embezzlement. Panova and her supporters say the investigations are payback for Ura.ru's critical reporting of local authorities.
The authorities had no immediate comment on the loss of Panova's child.
According to multiple media reports, the father of the child is Yevgeny Roizman, a former State Duma deputy who has vigorously fought illegal drug trafficking and angered local authorities by implicating them in it.
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