Russia: Media protest against photojournalist verdict
Russian state media have reacted with an unusually strong protest to a court ruling against a Moscow photojournalist.
In an open letter to Interior Minister Rashid Nurgaliyev, the editors-in-chief of several newspapers, TV and radio stations accused the police of falsifying statements and other violations of the law. This was reported by the state agency Ria Novosti on Thursday, according to SDA. The Ria photographer was detained at an unauthorized demonstration and sentenced to a small fine. The journalist was merely carrying out his work on behalf of the editorial team, Ria Novosti reported.
In Russia, journalists are repeatedly becoming victims of state violence. The organization Reporters Without Borders protested on Thursday against the sentencing of a blogger in the Russian republic of Tatarstan to 21 months in prison. According to a local court, he had slandered Tatarstan's President Mintimer Shaymiyev. In the city of Tomsk in Siberia, a journalist had died the day before from serious injuries inflicted by a police officer. Interior Minister Nurgaliyev has long been criticized for the brutal and corrupt security forces.
In Russia, journalists are repeatedly becoming victims of state violence. The organization Reporters Without Borders protested on Thursday against the sentencing of a blogger in the Russian republic of Tatarstan to 21 months in prison. According to a local court, he had slandered Tatarstan's President Mintimer Shaymiyev. In the city of Tomsk in Siberia, a journalist had died the day before from serious injuries inflicted by a police officer. Interior Minister Nurgaliyev has long been criticized for the brutal and corrupt security forces.
