Concern about media intimidation in Russia

VIENNA, 17 January 2000 - On 24 January 2000, the OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, Freimut Duve, wrote a letter to Russian Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov raising his concerns regarding the case of Alexander Khinshtein, a journalist working for Moskovsky Komsomolets.

Mr. Duve was informed that last week the apartment of Mr. Khinshtein had been raided and that the police tried to escort Mr. Khinshtein to a psychiatric clinic in Vladimir. The reason this attempt failed was because his lawyer and a film crew arrived at the scene.

Mr. Duve informed the Foreign Minister that Alexander Khinshtein's work regarding corruption in Russia was well known, as were his articles on the Interior Minister, Vladimir Rushailo. Although the Interior Ministry told the public that Mr. Khinshtein needed a psychiatric examination because of a 1997 driving-licence offence, the OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media found their arguments extremely difficult to believe, especially in light of the many threats that Mr. Khinshtein had received regarding his anti-corruption stories.

Freimut Duve urged the Russian Government to ensure that freedom of expression, one of Russia's greatest achievements, is not threatened by government officials, no matter what position they occupy. Alexander Khinshtein should be allowed to do his work without hindrance. Mr. Duve expects the Interior Ministry to refrain from any further harassment of this journalist.