(RSF/IFEX) – In a 6 February 2002 letter to the public prosecutor of Samara, Makhmod Kalimatov, RSF expressed its concern following the 5 February attack on Sergei Leibgrad, editor-in-chief of the Echoes of Moscow radio network’s Samara station. “We ask that you ensure that the investigation is successful and that you keep us informed of […]
(RSF/IFEX) – In a 6 February 2002 letter to the public prosecutor of Samara, Makhmod Kalimatov, RSF expressed its concern following the 5 February attack on Sergei Leibgrad, editor-in-chief of the Echoes of Moscow radio network’s Samara station. “We ask that you ensure that the investigation is successful and that you keep us informed of the results of the investigation,” stated Robert Ménard, the organisation’s secretary-general.
According to information collected by RSF, Leibgrad was beaten by unknown persons in front of his home on the evening of 5 February. The journalist is editor-in-chief of the Echoes of Moscow radio network’s Samara (Volga region) station and director of the weekly political satire programme Metabola, which is broadcast on the local independent television station Terra. The attackers hit the journalist, stole all his documents and told him, “There, we got you.” Leibgrad has several bruises on his head but his condition is not considered to be serious. The journalist did not dismiss the possibility that the attack was connected to his professional activities. Leibgrad recently criticised Samara Mayor Georgi Limanski on the Metabola television programme. He denounced the city budget’s lack of transparency and claimed that Limanski was developing populist programmes that did not respond to local citizens’ needs. The journalist has also criticised Alibert Macachov, a former ultranationalist member of Samara’s Duma. In response to the journalist’s criticism, Macachov called him a “zionist.” Macachov also frequently calls in to Echoes of Moscow during radio programmes. Leibgrad noted that he has previously received telephone threats. The local prosecutor’s office has launched an investigation into the incident.
RSF recalls that the Echoes of Moscow radio network is among the few Russian media outlets that criticises the government. The network was previously owned by Vladimir Gussinski’s Media-Most Group.
