21 Sep 10 | Index Index, minipost
A Russian gay rights activist who went missing from a Moscow airport last week, said he was kidnapped by state security agents. Nikolai Alekseyev was told he would have to undergo further security checks as he prepared for his flight to Geneva on 15 September. He was then driven to a police station in Kashira where he was detained for two days. The men holding him demanded that he withdraw a complaint from the European Court of Human Rights against Moscow’s ban on gay rights rallies. He refused to sign any documents. News agencies received text messages that appeared to be from the activist saying he was seeking political asylum in Belarus. Alekseyev later confirmed these were sent by his captors. He was released on 18 September.
13 Sep 10 | Index Index, minipost
The editor of opposition newspaper Listok has been charged with defamation after calling the administration of the Altai republic a “nest of vipers”. He also referred to the governor of Altai as an “alcoholic”. If convicted, Sergei Mikhailov will face up to four years in prison and a fine of up to $14,000. Supporters of the journalist say the case is politically motivated, particularly since Mikhailov was elected to Altai’s legislature in March.
03 Sep 10 | Index Index, minipost
Armed police raided the offices of opposition magazine the New Times on 2 September. The magazine’s editor Yevgenia Albats was repeatedly asked to hand over interview recordings that were used in a report on alleged abuses of power by OMON riot police. The report, which cited police sources making accusations about their superiors, prompted the force to launch a libel case in February. Albats gave police an interview transcript, but withheld any information concerning the identities of sources. OMON police are frequently deployed to break up demonstrations, and were involved in detaining 100 protesters at Strategy 31’s rally in Moscow on 31 August.
Concerns for press freedom have also been raised in Belarus this week, when the country’s oldest independent newspaper said that it faces closure due to interference from the government. The editor of Babruiski Kurier, Anatol Sanatsenka, said that the publication is in a difficult financial situation after authorities banned any advertising in the newspaper. He added that local officials told him that Babruiski Kurier “does not write about the right things”.
27 Aug 10 | Index Index, minipost
Police arrested human rights campaigners and prevented them from gaining signatures for petitions at U2’s first concert in Russia, on 25 August. The tents of Amnesty International, Greenpeace Russia, and U2’s own charity the ONE campaign for Aids, were all removed by police. Campaigners were not allowed to hand out leaflets or talk to any of the 75,000 fans at the Moscow venue. Head of Amnesty International in Russia, Sergei Nikitin, said that the organistation had carried out similar publicity events at many of the band’s concerts in Europe.
