The Russian-Chechen Information Agency (RCIA) will tomorrow, on 19 May, receive one of the Fritt Ord and ZEIT-Stiftung’s Press Prizes 2006 in the city hall in Hamburg, Germany. The prize is aimed at Eastern European media and journalists who are dedicated to independent reporting and who dare to withstand self-censorship. The agency was awarded by the Human Rights House Foundation, Norwegian Helsinki Committee and the Rafto Human Rights House. Right: Stanislav Dmitriyevsky of RCIA (18-MAY-05)

 Written by HRH / Ralph Pluimert. Picture: RCFS 

In October 2005, the three organisations had nominated the RCIA. In their letter of recommendation they wrote, amongst other things:

“One of the major problems with the second Chechen war within the Russian Federation has been the lack of available information. Very few sources have the capacity to bring up-dated reports about what is going on in the conflict area. The RCIA-website, www.ria.hrnnov.ru which is run by the Russian-Chechen Friendship Society (RCFS), and the monthly newspaper “Pravo-zaschita” (rights of defenders), are some of the few independent Russian sources of information about Russia´s war in the Chechen Republic. Both the Russian-Chechen Information Agency’s newspaper and the website pay attention to the monthly abuses, disappearances and arrests within the Chechen Republic and the neighbouring republic of Ingushetia. The newspaper is not only covering the bad news, but also signs of improvement of the situation and initiatives taken by human rights defenders to that effect.”

Organisation
The editor-in-chief of the agency is Stanislav Dmitriyevsky, while Oksana Chelysheva is the editor of the English-language electronic newsletter. In addition, five more journalists are involved in making both the print and electronic versions. Also articles of well-known journalists like Anna Politkovskaya and Andrej Babitsky (Radio Free Europe) and other Russian human rights defenders are often published in the monthly newspaper. The European Union and the National Endowment for Democracy make the publication financially possible. 

Harassment
The distribution of the newspaper is 5000 but in 2005, however, Russian authorities have made distribution more and more difficult. The Russian-Chechen Information Agency has not been able to publish its newspaper monthly because of the harassment and pressure that has been mounting against both the paper and the editor himself and the Russian Chechen Friendship Society has been under increasing pressure. In February Dmitriyevsky was sentenced to four years of probation with a two year suspended sentence. He is also not allowed to leave his hometown of Nizhny Novgorod.

Important
Ane Tusvik Bonde of the Human Rights House Foundation and Inna Zangadzhiyeva of the Norwegian Helsinki Committee, who both visited RCFS in Nizhny Novgorod, will attend the prize-ceremony. Bonde: “The prize is an important recognition for the work of the Russian Chechen Friendship Society and it will increase the pressure on the Russian authorities to lift the travel ban for Stanislav Dmitriyevsky.” Apart from the award, the Information Agency will receive 20.000 euro.