Russian journalist Andrei Babitsky, who disappeared in mid-January in Chechnya, was released in Moscow by Russian police on 28 February 2000. The Reuters news agency states that Acting President Vladimir Putin personally intervened in the case, leading to Babitskyâs release. Reports suggest that Babitsky was held for having used false documentation to enable him to […]
Russian journalist Andrei Babitsky, who disappeared in mid-January in
Chechnya, was released in Moscow by Russian police on 28 February 2000.
The Reuters news agency states that Acting President Vladimir Putin personally intervened in the case, leading to Babitskyâs release.
Reports suggest that Babitsky was held for having used false documentation to enable him to travel within Chechnya to report on the fighting there. Accreditation enabling journalists to report in the region is extremely difficult to obtain and the Russian authorities appear to be particularly reluctant to provide passes to those who hold views that do not concur with those of the government. The exact circumstances of his arrest and subsequent release remain unknown to PEN, and the organisation remains puzzled by the reports that Babitsky took part in a prisoner exchange in early February. The organisation calls upon the Russian authorities to provide an explanation for Babitskyâs arrest.
