(GDF/IFEX) – GDF is deeply disturbed by the cruel assault in Kaliningrad on Igor Rudnikov, editor-in-chief of the newspaper “Noviye Kolyesa” and deputy of City Council of Kaliningrad. According to GDF, on 1 July 1998, an unknown person attacked Igor Rudnikov on the porch of his house, striking the journalistâs head repeatedly with an iron […]
(GDF/IFEX) – GDF is deeply disturbed by the cruel assault in Kaliningrad on
Igor Rudnikov, editor-in-chief of the newspaper “Noviye Kolyesa” and deputy
of City Council of Kaliningrad. According to GDF, on 1 July 1998, an unknown
person attacked Igor Rudnikov on the porch of his house, striking the
journalistâs head repeatedly with an iron tube wrapped in a sheet of
polyethylene. At present Igor Rudnikov is in the hospital with serious head
trauma and an injured arm. His condition is extremely serious.
Rudnikovâs colleagues consider that the assault might be connected with the
intention of the newspaperâs editorial staff to publish information about
the Governorâs son, who was a guilty party in a car accident. A second
theory is that the attack was in revenge for the journalistâs previous
publications about the former Governor of the Kaliningrad region.
Background Information
In June 1996, the Leningrad district court of Kaliningrad commenced two
criminal lawsuits against Igor Rudnikov on the claim of the deputy head of
Kaliningrad’s regional administration, who had discovered “slander” and
“insult” in the newspaperâs reports. The cases were closed in December of
the same year.
Close to two years later, two acts of terrorism were committed against the
editorial staff: on the night of 6 February 1998, an explosion was set off
outside the newspaperâs office; on 1 March 1998, two bottles with Molotov
cocktails were thrown into the editor-in-chiefâs office window.
GDF views the legal persecution of the journalist, the explosion outside the
editorial office, and finally the assault on him as different attempts to
attain the same goal – to take revenge for his critical publications.
There have been numerous instances of attacks against independent media
leaders since the beginning of 1998, including the following:
On 2 January, an unknown person badly wounded Yakov London, vice-president
of NTN-4 TV channel (Novosibirsk);
On 21 January, unknown persons set fire to the car of Boris Fradkov,
Director General of the Samara branch of “Europe Plus” radio station, and
later he was threatened with murder in a phone call;
On 5 February, an armed attack was committed on the apartment of A.Baranov,
editor-in-chief of the magazine “Stolichny Optovik” (Moscow);
On 18 February, two unknown persons burst into the apartment of Anatoly
Kovyrshin, editor-in-chief of the newspaper “Express-Reporter” (Tambov) and
beat him;
On 21 March, unknown persons beat Eduard Markevich, editor-in-chief of the
newspaper “Noviy Reft” (Sverdlovsk region);
On 11 April, Alexei Nevinitsin, editor-in-chief of the newspaper “Zolotoye
Koltso” was beaten in Yaroslavl;
On 16 April, there was an attempt on the life of Stanislav Kholopov,
editor-in-chief of the newspaper “Stolitsa-S” (Saransk) (see IFEX alert of
11 May 1998);
On 22 April, Lyudmila Stakhovskaya, editor-in-chief of the newspaper “Zarya
Timana” (Komi Republic) was beaten by unknown persons;
On 30 April, Grigory Zabolotsky, editor-in-chief of the newspaper
“Volgodonskaya Nedelya Plus” was threatened with physical violence;
On 15 May, Igopr Myasnikov, director of the newspaper “Volzhsky Bulvar”
(Ivanovo region) was mortally wounded:
On 7 June, Larisa Yudina, editor-in-chief of the newspaper “Sovetskaya
Kalmykia Segodnya” was murdered (see IFEX alert of 9 June 1998);
On 29 June, there was an assault on Sergei Bachinin, editor-in-chief of the
newspaper “Vyatsky Nablyudatel”.
Recommended Action
Send appeals to authorities:
investigation. It is in the interests of State and Justice to punish those
responsible and make public the inquiry results
independent media leaders since the beginning of 1998, including those
listed above
Appeals To
Boris Yeltsin
President of the Russian Federation
Moscow, Russia
Fax: +70 95 206 5173/206 6277Yuri Skuratov
Prosecutor General of the Russian Federation
Moscow, Russia
Fax: +70 95 292 88 48/70 95 925 18 79
Please copy appeals to the source if possible.