Russian media reports say a journalist who has criticized the government has died in unexplained circumstances in the Siberian region of Buryatia.

Thirty-five-year-old Yevgeny Khamaganov died in a hospital emergency room in Buryatia's capital, Ulan-Ude, on March 16, according to local media reports.

The cause of death was unclear and there has been no official statement.

Some reports cited friends as saying Khamaganov was hospitalized on March 10 after he was severely beaten by unknown assailants. Other reports say he was rushed to the hospital due to complications from diabetes.

Khamaganov was known for articles criticizing policies of Russia’s federal government.

Khamaganov, an ethnic Buryat, left Ulan-Ude for his native village in 2015, after he was severely beaten by attackers who broke his neck. But he moved back to Ulan-Ude on February 27.

Mongol-speaking Buryats make up less than a half of Buryatia’s population of some 1 million people.

With reporting by babr.ru, vt-inform.ru, and arigus.tv