(CPJ/IFEX) – On 31 March 1998 56-year old Ivan Fedyunin, a reporter with the local “Bryanskie Izvestia” newspaper, was murdered. According to his colleagues and the police who found his body on 2 April, Fedyunin was stabbed to death in his apartment. An elderly couple told police that they had heard screams for help but […]
(CPJ/IFEX) – On 31 March 1998 56-year old Ivan Fedyunin, a reporter with the
local “Bryanskie Izvestia” newspaper, was murdered. According to his
colleagues and the police who found his body on 2 April, Fedyunin was
stabbed to death in his apartment. An elderly couple told police that they
had heard screams for help but were too afraid to respond.
Some of Fedyunin’s colleagues at the “Bryanskie Izvestia” have not ruled out
the possibility that his murder might have been connected with his
professional work as a journalist. They said that he had recently published
articles concerning the alleged criminal activities of local companies
involved in renovating apartments. As a reporter for the “politics”
department of the paper, Fedyunin covered the activities of the Duma, the
local legislative body, as well as on current regional and national
political events. Other colleagues speculated that the murder was related to
his personal life. Police, who have indicated that they have an unidentified
suspect in custody, have not ruled out either of these possibilities.
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