Sunday, January 14, 2007
Editor's home target of arson attack, police briefly detain newspaper staff following reports critical of regional governor
(CJES/IFEX) - On 1 January 2007 in the city of Pskov, at about 7:00 pm (local time), an unidentified individual or individuals set fire to the door of the apartment of Irina Tikhonova, the editor-in-chief of "The Bulletin" of the news agency Pskov News Bureau. Tikhonova is convinced that the incident is directly related to her professional work.
Tikhonova informed CJES that the incident took place when her entire family was at home, which leads her to consider the act as a threat intended to instil panic and fear.
"Police and fire officials have investigated the fire and found it was caused by 'an extraneous source', confirming that it was a deliberate act of arson. Now I am seriously frightened by the incident and fear for my life and the lives of my family members," Tikhonova said.
The editor and the founder of the Pskov News Bureau suspects that Michael Kuznetsov, the governor of Pskov region, who has been criticised in the pages of "The Bulletin", is behind the attack. The newspaper is one of the few in which opposition to the regional governor has been openly expressed.
According to the editor, within the last two years the governor and his two assistants have filed 14 criminal complaints against the press through the police and the Office of the Public Prosecutor, under clause 130 (part 2) of the Russian Criminal Code (on "insult" expressed in public demonstrations or in mass media). None of these legal cases has been carried forward.
On 9 December 2006, police illegally detained Tikhonova and other staff of "The Bulletin". According to Tikhonova, despite having been shown the appropriate documents (passport, certificate of registration with "The Bulletin"), police detained them for four hours. In response to requests that they explain the reasons for the journalists' detention, police officials responded that they "can detain people for 48 hours".
The Pskov News Bureau editor believes the detention was related to the publication, on the front page of "The Bulletin", of a story that reported on governor Kuznetsov's failure to fulfil his electoral promise that the prices for energy carriers would not be raised.
The Pskov News Bureau editor also reports having been subject to pressure in relation to the upcoming 11 March elections to select representatives to the Pskov regional assembly, the Pskov municipal Duma, and to 13 other municipalities of the region.
Tikhonova informed CJES that the incident took place when her entire family was at home, which leads her to consider the act as a threat intended to instil panic and fear.
"Police and fire officials have investigated the fire and found it was caused by 'an extraneous source', confirming that it was a deliberate act of arson. Now I am seriously frightened by the incident and fear for my life and the lives of my family members," Tikhonova said.
The editor and the founder of the Pskov News Bureau suspects that Michael Kuznetsov, the governor of Pskov region, who has been criticised in the pages of "The Bulletin", is behind the attack. The newspaper is one of the few in which opposition to the regional governor has been openly expressed.
According to the editor, within the last two years the governor and his two assistants have filed 14 criminal complaints against the press through the police and the Office of the Public Prosecutor, under clause 130 (part 2) of the Russian Criminal Code (on "insult" expressed in public demonstrations or in mass media). None of these legal cases has been carried forward.
On 9 December 2006, police illegally detained Tikhonova and other staff of "The Bulletin". According to Tikhonova, despite having been shown the appropriate documents (passport, certificate of registration with "The Bulletin"), police detained them for four hours. In response to requests that they explain the reasons for the journalists' detention, police officials responded that they "can detain people for 48 hours".
The Pskov News Bureau editor believes the detention was related to the publication, on the front page of "The Bulletin", of a story that reported on governor Kuznetsov's failure to fulfil his electoral promise that the prices for energy carriers would not be raised.
The Pskov News Bureau editor also reports having been subject to pressure in relation to the upcoming 11 March elections to select representatives to the Pskov regional assembly, the Pskov municipal Duma, and to 13 other municipalities of the region.
