(RSF/IFEX) – In a letter addressed to Minister of Justice Youri Chaika, RSF expressed its outrage over the attack on Igor Domnekov, a journalist with the twice-weekly independent newspaper “Novaïa Gazeta”. “This is a criminal act which is likely to maintain the climate of fear and insecurity that reigns among professionals in investigative journalism. We […]
(RSF/IFEX) – In a letter addressed to Minister of Justice Youri Chaika, RSF expressed its outrage over the attack on Igor Domnekov, a journalist with the twice-weekly independent newspaper “Novaïa Gazeta”. “This is a criminal act which is likely to maintain the climate of fear and insecurity that reigns among professionals in investigative journalism. We ask you to take all necessary measures to ensure the security of journalists,” declared Robert Ménard, the organisation’s secretary-general. RSF also asked the Russian authorities to be kept informed of the results of the inquiry.
According to the information obtained by RSF, Domnekov was attacked in front of the entrance to his apartment building on 12 May 2000, shortly before midnight (local time), by an unknown person who hit him with a hammer. Suffering from head injuries, he was immediately hospitalised and his condition is considered serious. “Novaïa Gazeta” has published on numerous occasions inquiries into cases of corruption, implicating people
close to power and in the security services (FSB, ex-KGB). The newspaper has, in addition, strongly criticised the actions of Russian forces in Chechnya since the first war in 1994. On 27 April, the magazine received a warning from the Ministry of Information for having published an interview with Chechen President Aslan Maskhadov. On 15 March, in the middle of the electoral campaign, a hacker with access to the hard drive of the newspaper’s computers destroyed the entire upcoming issue. According to the editorial staff, this issue contained revelations on the financing of presidential elections. In the beginning of February, Yevgeny Rukin, the editor-in-chief of a regional branch of the magazine, was arrested in Perm (centre of Russia) and accused of “abuse of authority” before being released shortly thereafter.
