(CJES/IFEX) – On 11 January 2007, Edward Kitashov, correspondent for the magazine “The Person and the Law”, informed CJES that he was the victim of an assault on 5 December 2006. He reported the assault, which took place near the Moscow subway station “Polezhaevskaja”, to a regional police station. “An unidentified person struck my head […]
(CJES/IFEX) – On 11 January 2007, Edward Kitashov, correspondent for the magazine “The Person and the Law”, informed CJES that he was the victim of an assault on 5 December 2006. He reported the assault, which took place near the Moscow subway station “Polezhaevskaja”, to a regional police station.
“An unidentified person struck my head with something heavy. I lost consciousness and when I recovered I realised that that my portfolio – containing documents, a dictaphone and various recordings – had been stolen,” Kitashov told CJES.
The journalist does not believe the assault was motivated by common theft because the day after the assault, a 12-year-old boy arrived to Kitashev’s office with his portfolio, which he apparently found in the street. A certificate and the dictaphone were still enclosed, but all the recordings on the dictophone had been erased. Kitashov’s journalistic documents, relating to an investigation he was conducting into a factory in Tolyatti city, were also missing.
“In the police office where I reported the assault, I was told that it was likely an act of intimidation. They assume that this action will be followed with an offer to tempt me away from further pursuing my investigation into the Tolyatti factory case,” Kitashov said. He added that he has received no offers to dissuade him from his investigation, with which he plans to continue. The journalist does not expect that his assailant will be identified.
