At night of 23-24 November in the City of Nazran masked people wearing camouflage kidnapped civil rights advocate Oleg Orlov and three correspondents of REN TV: Karen Sakhinov, Artem Vysotsky and Stanislaw Goryachikh. The victims were taken away from the Assa hotel belonging to the government of Ingushetia. People were brought to the countryside, they were robbed and beaten.

The details of the incident indicate that this criminal act was made with privity and by order of some high ranking Republican officials. Our sources in Nazran affirm that people in masks, who kidnapped the journalists, work in the President Zyazikov’s protective service. All this group of kidnappers and their supervisors must have been taken into custody. Will it happen some day? It’s useless asking such a question on ones’ own. It must be formulated by journalist community. We have requested our colleagues to give their opinion and below you will find what they said.   

Vladimir Pozner, television anchorman, President of the Academy of Russian television:

The news of beating REN TV journalists was a great shock to me and caused my ultimate indignation. I got information that REN TV correspondents were laid down, taken from the hotel, put in a car half-dressed, discharged from the car somewhere out of the city, beaten (and one of them is still in the Sklifosovsky hospital), put plastic bags on their heads and death threatened. After that they had to walk to the local police station in a frosty weather. Then they were received by President Zyazikov who promised protection, but the journalists were just kept in the administration without any medical aid administered. Finally, they were not allowed to shoot any materials and in the City of Vladikavkaz they were detained one more time.   
 
Obviously, this is an attempt to intimidate the journalists who speak about undesirable things. I think it was a local initiative, but such an accident wouldn’t have happened if there hadn’t been the feeling everything would remain unpunished. Was it order by Zyazikov or FSB? I don’t know and don’t want to be guessing.

I take it that anyway Zyazikov is responsible for everything happening in the Republic. I’m sure that local authorities didn’t get any orders from above, though all what happened is characteristic of general context of our today’s vertical of power. I know that in the Ingushetia web site the statements by local MPs have appeared with questions of why REN TV sent two camera crews exactly to this Republic and not somewhere else. The deputies gave some advices to the victims but they didn’t offer apologies for what happened.   

I can’t explain silence by television about this case but with self-censorship by journalists, a kind of unaccountable fear. It seems to work more effective than the real censorship. Such a behavior is characteristic of journalist community and it makes it disunited.

I know REN TV has applied to prosecutor’s office of Ingushetia and to Prosecutor General’s Office. I believe that Journalist Union must make a public statement. As for Academy of television I cannot speak here on its behalf. This is a professional union and not a political organization. It’s more than 300 people who joined it. All of them have different political and other kinds of views. Absolute majority of the Academy’s members condemn what has happened but there are employees of the state TV channels among them who could consider such a statement as criticism against the authorities. So trying to make such a statement on behalf of the academy would be a way of messing it up. 

Nikolai Svanidze, anchorman from Russia TV channel, member of Public Chamber:

It’s difficult to say anything else but strong indignation and perplexity about the happened. Beating the camera crew must be punished severely so that it can’t become a habit with people who take the liberty of doing such things. This habit is close to be formed as every time such actions go scot-free. If such a habit gets formed, that would be very dangerous. Every such incident is a step away from civil society, a big step. That’s very bad. 

I can’t comment vague information about who was involved, but I strongly suspect it was possible to be done by people vested in powers. It’s not casual hooligans but members of law enforcement bodies. And if this is so, the situation seems very grave.

I don’t know yet if something will be done by the Public Chamber about that. I’m talking on my own behalf.

Maria Bezborodova, spokesperson for NTV:

We gave an item on Saturday (24 November – editorial note) at 7 p.m., our informational service confirmed that to me. Our channel got in touch with REN TV and prepared an item based on their materials. We showed everything. That’s awful all what happened. I’m a spokesperson and can’t make promises but I think if we started covering this topic we will continue.  

Alexander Khinstein, observer of the newspaper Moskovsky Komsomolez, MP: 

I haven’t heard about that. It’s been four days I’m on a trip and I don’t watch TV. What opposition meeting was held in Ingushetia? To be able to do something, I need to be in Moscow, and I will come back on 2 December. If I am asked  for help, I will always support my colleagues.

Press office of Russia TV channel:

What beating? Could you call back later? We shall check the information.

(Two days later) No, we didn’t do anything (laughing).

Andrei Vasilyev, editor-in-chief of Kommersant Publishing House:

We have published two materials. All what we had to say, we said in the newspaper. We shall decide if we continue this topic depending on the further course of events. 

Boris Boyarskov, head of Rossvyazokhrankultura:

Working together with law enforcement bodies we shall make investigation so that those actions were given appropriate judge preventing such incidents in the future.

Vitaly Tretyakov, editor-in-chief of Moscow News, member of Public Chamber:

I only know the main story. Anyway, beating journalists and any beating at all is always bad. Besides, the journalists were beaten being doing their professional duty, so that was hindrance in journalistic activity. 

Few people in Russia can feel safe today, no matter if you are or not a journalist. I have a privileged position in this respect as I am editor-in-chief and I don’t go hot spots. That’s why I feel safer than main body of journalists. Unfortunately, conflicts in Russia are settled with the use of force and not in the court. It’s been so during last ten years.

I can’t say exactly if we published something in our newspaper. It seems to me that kidnapping occurred after our weekly number was released. We are a weekly edition and we have our own direction of activity and our own possibilities. In some cases we don’t leave the topic and make our own investigation and in some cases we don’t. We have to choose what topic to direct our employees to, as we have limited number of correspondents like any other editorial board. This episode, whatever grievous it was, is not much different from many other stories. 

The victims should apply to the court and to the corporative organizations like Journalist Union who must organize protests and meetings. If such a meeting were held in possible for me time, I would take part in it. But I couldn’t organize a meeting by myself.

Yasen Zasursky, chair of Journalism Department at Moscow State University:

That’s a scandalous thing. I sympathize with those journalists. I know that investigation has begun. Authorities must make investigation, punish the criminals, give an aid and pay compensations to the journalists. As for reaction by the media…It’s sad to see the absence of corporative solidarity.

To my mind, all that was organized by the militia. Different people work there, and considering that kindred relations are very strong in Caucasus, all that seems to be very complicated. Unbiased investigation is needed here. Militia must protect journalists instead of treating them so harsh.

Ella Pamfilova, chair of Human Rights Commission:

I have sent a letter to Prosecutor General’s Office where I gave my opinion about the incident happened. I will be doing my best to help to get to the truth. I reckon we mustn’t turn a blind eye to such things or else something worse might occur. Sometimes criminals get punished and sometimes not. Anyway we must try to prevent other possible cases. What matters is not to be indifferent and to watch the situation.

Alexander Lyubimov, chair of Russian organization of the media workers named Mediasoyuz (fittingly Media Union):

I’m not in Russia now, so I haven’t heard anything about that.   

Igor Yakovenko, Secretary General of Russian Journalist Union:

Our people who are engaged in monitoring, they are working about this case. We shall take measures.

Alexei Simonov, President of Glasnost Protection Fund:

Having worked 15 years in this area, I am used to such cases happening to journalists. But this time, my old acquaintance, civil rights advocate Oleg Orlov was kidnapped with the group from REN TV.

What amazed me is the fact that the guards were removed from the hotel before the kidnapping. That indicates that the action was planned with the use of administrative resource. The victims reported that the kidnappers spoke Russian without accent. The criminals were feeling absolutely confident, they were not in a hurry and they were not afraid of anyone. And after journalists were let go by the criminals…Think of that 12-hour staying in the militia station where no aid was administered and at the same time they were not let go…And the fact that Zyazikov offered an apology only to the journalists and ignored Orlov is an obvious indication whom that action had been meant against.   

Journalists are not just beaten; they are beaten publicly in loud places like demonstrations and meetings. Today, beating journalists at a meeting means the event went normally. Journalists live under constant risk. 

As for coverage made by the media, I was satisfied to see that a lot of sweat was caused in Russia. 

Our Fund has stopped rending the air with special statements. We collected all the information and released our own digest where we gave our opinion, in particular, about some innocent articles on which criminal cases were started. Some are trying to reduce this kidnapping to a hooligan action. The actions by our Fund will be proceeding from the actions by the victims. We need to coordinate our steps. It’s time we started using our fists instead of shaking our hands.