Click here to read more about press freedom conditions in RUSSIA
New York, October 6, 2000--A local court in Makhachkala, the
capital of Russia's southern republic of Dagestan, convicted radio
reporter Andrei Babitsky of using false documents and sentenced him
to pay a fine 13,200 rubles (about US$475), according to international
and local media reports.
The fine was waived, however, and the charges were immediately dropped
under an amnesty program passed earlier this year by the Russian Duma.
Babitksy's defense team immediately announced plans to appeal the
ruling and take his case to the European Court for Human Rights in
Strasbourg if necessary.
Babitsky, a reporter for the U.S. government-funded Radio Liberty/Radio
Free Europe had angered Russian military authorities with his critical
reporting on the war in Chechnya. In mid-January, Babitsky disappeared
while reporting in Chechnya and it was only two weeks later that Russian
authorities acknowledged that he was in military custody.
On January 27 Babitsky was arrested and charged with "participating
in an armed formation," a charge which was later dropped. On February
3, Russian military authorities abruptly handed Babitsky over to purported
Chechen rebels, whom Babitsky later claimed were loyal to Moscow.
Three weeks later, the journalist re-surfaced in Makhachkala and Russian
authorities promptly arrested him on the charge of possessing a false
Azeri passport, which Babitsky claimed had been forced on him by his
Chechen captors after they had taken away his own documents. He was
flown to Moscow and barred from leaving the city before his trial.
Even before the trial began, Babitsky, who pleaded not guilty, announced
that he did not expect a fair hearing, saying Russian courts were
not sufficiently independent. In his closing statement, he asserted
that the court's ruling in his case would be crucial for delineating
the boundaries of press freedom in Russia.
"We are greatly disappointed by the decision of the court," said CPJ's
deputy director Joel Simon. "There is no doubt that Babitsky was put
on trial and convicted in retaliation for his reporting. We are very
concerned that the verdict will be taken by other journalists as a
warning."
Click here for a recent interview of Babitsky by CPJ
Vice Chairman Terry Anderson
END
