(IPI/IFEX) – In a 27 July 2000 letter to Russian President Vladimir Putin, IPI strongly condemned the killing of a Russian radio proprietor. According to IPI’ sources, the owner of the independent Vesna radio station, Sergei Novikov, 36, left the station, located in Russia’s Smolensk province, together with a friend, late in the evening of […]
(IPI/IFEX) – In a 27 July 2000 letter to Russian President Vladimir Putin, IPI strongly condemned the killing of a Russian radio proprietor.
According to IPI’ sources, the owner of the independent Vesna radio station, Sergei Novikov, 36, left the station, located in Russia’s Smolensk province, together with a friend, late in the evening of 26 July. After parting with his friend, Novikov entered his apartment building, where he encountered an unidentified person who shot and killed him. The perpetrator escaped through a back-entrance to the apartment building. At present, no one has been arrested nor has a motive been provided for the killing. However, Novikov’s co-workers believe he was targeted for his political views. In the past, the Vesna radio station had aired allegations of corruption in the regional administration.
Novikov’s murder is deeply disturbing against the backdrop of a series of attacks upon journalists in Russia. On 12 May, Igor Domnikov, a journalist with “Novaia Gazeta”, was attacked by an unidentified assailant and later died as a result of the attack (see IFEX alerts of 24 and 17 July and 16 May 2000). The perpetrator still remains at large. In addition, journalists covering the war in Chechnya have been subject to ill-treatment and arbitrary detention without the guilty being brought to justice, most notably in the case of Radio Liberty correspondent Andrei Babitsky (see IFEX alerts of 19, 14 and 7 July and others).
In President Putin’s state of the union address on 8 July, he called freedom of speech an “unshakeable value of Russian democracy.” Attacks like these are indefensible crimes against any democracy and must not go unpunished. Therefore, IPI is deeply worried about the apparent ease with which the perpetrators of such crimes have escaped justice.
Recommended Action
Send appeals to the president:
– expressing your concern that Novikov’s murder is only the latest in a series of attacks on journalists carried out as a direct result of their reporting
– urging His Excellency to ensure that an immediate and thorough investigation into his killing is conducted and that those responsible are swiftly brought to justice
– further urging him to ensure that the highest priority is given to finding the perpetrators of such fundamental crimes against democracy
– noting that if journalists are not allowed to report freely and safely in Russia, an “unshakeable” value of democracy has been shattered
Appeals To
APPEALS TO:H.E. Vladimir Putin
President
The Kremlin
Moscow, Russia
Fax: +7 095 206 5173 / 206 6277Please copy appeals to the source if possible.
