OSCE

As Kidnappings Mount, Chechen Government Puts New Restrictions On Journalists

Faced with a mounting toll of Russian journalists' abductions, the new Chechen government has heavily restricted reporters' movements. The May kidnapping of independent Russian NTV's prominent war reporter Yelena Masyuk and two crew members was the latest in a string of kidnappings, possibly related to the intention of some Chechen factions to derail the 1996 peace settlement with the Russian Federation. In March, the Chechen Interior Ministry announced that all journalists must register with the ministry, travel to the republic only by air, stay in the government compound at the airport, and accept armed government bodyguards--for which they must pay. As of May 12, CPJ had documented at least 14 media employees missing in Chechnya--more than anywhere else in the world. Those abducted in 1997 and still held are believed to be alive; seven who disappeared in 1995 and 1996 are feared dead.