 Source: HRO.org We, colleagues and comrades of chief editor of Caucasian Knot Grigory Shvedov, representatives of Russian civil society, journalists and responsible citizens, are deeply perturbed by the public and direct threats against Grigory, expressed in a cynical manner by a representative of the parliament of the Republic of Chechnya, Magomed Daudov. We consider a situation where a highly place official publicly calls for physical reprisals against someone who heads a media outlet and is a leader in civil society to be absolutely impermissible for a civilised country. We are certain that this situation constitutes nothing less than the making of a direct threat of reprisal, a threat to life and an attempt to interfere with the professional work of a journalist with the help of threats and intimidation. These actions, in our view, are evidence of a crime under Article 144, Section 3, of the Russian Criminal Code ‘hindering the lawful work of professional journalism’. We are deeply concerned by the absence of public reaction to this situation on the part of the Russian authorities. We demand that they take immediate and effective measures to ensure the conditions for security of the work of journalists and human rights defenders in the North Caucasus. The systematic absence of a reaction on the part of the Russian authorities to statements of this kind by leaders of the Chechen Republic, who have repeatedly made such statements in the past, and the absence of an effective investigation of crimes in this region, including those against journalists and human rights defenders, have led to impunity and a situation in which 'everything is permitted.’ The recent conviction of Caucasian Knot journalist Zhalaudi Geriev, who was sentenced to three years in prison on fabricated charges, is one more confirmation of the systematic harassment of people in Chechnya for seeking to realise their constitutional right to freedom of expression of opinion. We demand that the law enforcement agencies conduct an effective investigation and hold Magomed Daudov to account. We demand that the head of the federal Investigative Committee, A. I. Bastrykin, take personal control of the investigation into this case and declare the results of the investigation publicly and in a well-argued manner. We appeal to the head of the Presidential Human Rights Council M. A. Fedotov and to the Human Rights Ombudsperson of the Russian Federation T. N. Moskalkova to support our demands and ask the leaders of government bodies in Russia and the Chechen Republic to react immediately and appropriately to this situation. We express our solidarity with Grigory Shvedov, the chief editor of Caucasian Knot, and all independent journalists working in Chechnya. We are grateful to them for the very important work that they do each day in very difficult circumstances. In conditions of systematic repression of freedom of expression they are the only source of information from this region. For our part, we promise to ensure public oversight of this case and we shall continue to demand that the authorities observe the laws of our country and the international norms that guarantee freedom of expression of opinion and the unhindered work of journalists. Natalia Taubina, director of the Public Verdict Foundation Yury Dzhibladze, president of the Centre for Democracy and Human Rights Aleksandr Verkhovsky, director of the Sova Centre for Information and Analysis Valentin Gefter, director of the Institute of Human Rights Valentina Cherevatenko, chair of the board of the Foundation for Civil Society Development and Human Rights, Women of the Don Igor Kalyapin, chair of the Committee for the Prevention of Torture, member of the Presidential Council on Civil Society and Human Rights Anna Sharogradskaya, director of the Regional Press Institute Elena Shakhova, director of Citizens' Watch human rights organisation Andrei Kalikh, freelance journalist Aleksandr Peredruk, a spokesperson for St. Petersburg Soldiers' Mothers Robert Latypov, chair of the Perm regional branch of the International Memorial Society Barbara Pakhomenko, human rights activist Svetlana Gannushkina, chair of the Civic Assistance Committee Liudmila Alekseeva, chair of the Moscow Helsinki Group Anita Soboleva, member of the Presidential Council on Civil Society and Human Rights Andrei Blinushov chair of Ryazan Memorial Julia Sereda, member of the board of Ryazan Memorial Aleksandr Cherkasov, chair of the board of Memorial Human Rights Centre Oleg Orlov, member of the board of Memorial Human Rights Centre Liudmila Vakhnina, member of the board of Memorial Human Rights Centre Lilia Shibanova, a member of the secretariat of the European Platform for Democratic Elections, a member of the Presidential Council on Civil Society and Human Rights Magomed Mutsolgov, journalist and human rights activist Karinna Moskalenko, a lawyer, founder of the Centre for International Protection, Commissioner of the International Commission of Jurists Konstantin Baranov, a member of the Coordinating Council of the International Youth Human Rights Movement (MPD) Andrei Yurov, an international human rights activist, member of the Presidential Council on Civil Society and Human Rights Ekaterina Sokiryanskaya, civil society activist Galina Arapova, the Media Rights Defence Centre Elena Vilenskaya, the House of Peace and Nonviolence Tatiana Chistova, film director Aleksei Kirillovich Simonov, president of the Glasnost Defence Foundation Boris Timoshenko, head of the information service, Glasnost Defence Foundation Nikolai Rybakov, deputy chair of the Yabloko Party Mikhail Amosov, deputy of the Legislative Assembly of St. Petersburg Sergei Lukashevsky, Andrei Sakharov Museum and Public Centre Arseny Roginsky, chair of the International Memorial Society Lev Ponomarev, All-Russian Movement For Human Rights Oleg Novikov, Public Verdict Foundation Osman Boliev, human rights activist Dmitry Makarov, Youth Human Rights Movement Lydia Sviridova, journalist, civil society activist Natalia Yudina, Sova Centre for Information & Analysis Viktor Yukechev, director of the Institute of the press-Siberia Mikhail Kaluzhsky, editor, Open Democracy, Russia Aleksei Kozlov, chief editor www.article20.org Aleksandr Delfinov, writer, journalist Olga Gnezdilova, lawyer Denis Sokolov, head of the research center RAMCOM Boris Vishnevsky, head of Yabloko faction in the Legislative Assembly of St. Petersburg, member of the Political Committee of the Yabloko party, columnist at Novaya Gazeta Aleksandr Mnatsakanyan, Moscow Vyacheslav Bakhmin, Moscow Asmik Novikova, head of research programmes, Public Verdict Foundation Veronika Rozhkova, lawyer, Moscow Elena Gerasimova, director, Centre for Social and Labour Rights Boris Suranov, journalist Aleksandr Maishev, online media editor of the Caucasian Knot Dmitry Belomestnov, journalist, human rights activist, Moscow Anastasia Ovsyannikova, journalist Evgeny Grekov, civil society activist Maria Kravchenko, member of the Sova Centre for Information and Analysis Zoya Svetova, journalist Mikhail Lashkevich, physicist, Moscow Marina Pisklakova, chair, Anna Sergei Krivenko, member of the Presidential Council on Civil Society and Human Rights Dmitry Dubrovsky, historian, lecturer, associate fellow at the Centre for Independent Social Research, St. Petersburg Ernest Mezak, lawyer, Public Verdict Foundation (Syktyvkar) Anastasia Denisova, the Civic Assistance Committee Natalia Dzyadko, Center for Prison Reform Dmitry Kraiukhin, editor in chief, TsentrRus news agenc, Orel Veronika Katkov, chair of the Orel regional branch, Golos Irina Flige, Memorial Research and Information Centre, St. Petersburg Vissarion Aseev, human rights activist, expert with the Crimea Human Rights Group Mikhail Lebedev, civil society activist and volunteer, St. Petersburg Kristina Gorelik, journalist Kirill Koroteev, legal director of the Memorial Human Rights Centre Irina Kizilova, journalist Andrei Rudomakh, North Caucasus Environmental Watch Irina Biryukova, lawyer, Moscow Vadim Karastelev, project coordinator, Moscow Helsinki Group Andrei Suslov, director, Center for Civic Education and Human Rights, Perm Aleksei Sokolov, head of Legal Basis, Ekaterinburg Sergei Poduzov, Interregional public organization Individual and the Law, Yoshkar-Ola Anatoly Denisenko, pensioner, Essentuki Viktor Voronkov, president of the Center for Independent Social Research, St. Petersburg Igor Kochetkov, director, Sphere, member of the board of the Russian LGBT Network Svetlana Kravets, psychologist, Moscow Valery Khatazhukov, chair of the Kabardino-Balkaria Regional Human Rights Center Elena Grishina, editor, Moscow Vyacheslav Feraposhkin, journalist Dmitry Shevchenko, deputy coordinator of the NGO North Caucasus Environmental Watch, environmental journalist Yulia Adelkhanova lawyer Irena Podolskaya, philologist Maksim Burmitsky, lawyer, human rights activist Marina Dubrovina, lawyer of the Memorial Human Rights Centre Aleksandrina Elagina, Russiangate journalist, press secretary of the Trade Union of Journalists and Media Workers Ivan Pavlov, lawyer, head of Team 29 Aleksei Babii, chair of Krasnoyarsk Memorial Aleksandr Kalikh, Perm Memorial Boris Dolgin, editor, analyst Sofia Ivanova, chair of board of Ryazan region Golos Sergei Davidis, member the board of Memorial Human Rights Centre Arkady Dubnov, journalist Igor Sazhin, human rights activist, Republic of Komi Stanislav Dmitrievsky, human rights activist, Nizhny Novgorod Nikolai Petrov, head of the Centre for Political and Geographical Research Vera Vasilieva, journalist, Human rights in Russia (HRO.org) Liubov Moseeva-Helier, human rights lawyer, Kaluga section, For Human Rights Magomed Tuaev, correspondent, Caucasian Knot Vladimir Slivyak, co-chair, "Ecodefence!" Grigory Pasko, journalist Anna Sevortyan, Civil Society Forum, Russia Georgy Ramazashvili, historian Arkady Gutnikov, director, Prince P.G. Oldenburg Institute of Law, St. Petersburg Aleksandr Podrabinek Tatyana Lipovskaya Elena Denisenko, lawyer Aleksandr Bekhtold, executive director, Ryazan section, For Human Rights Igor Volkov, Moscow Lena Dudukina, Human Rights House, Voronezh Svetlana Kuzevanova, Media Rights Defence Centre Vladimir Petrukhin, company director, Engels, Saratov region All those wishing to sign the statement may do so at civilsoc2013@gmail.com |
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