Magomed Yevloyev, right, owner of opposition Ingushetiya.ru webpage, was killed in Ingushetia on 31 August, soon after the police detained him in Margas airport. ARTICLE 19 and other free expression organisations have expressed their shock and outrage over the death. (02-SEPT-08)
 
Based on an Article 19 press release, issued today, this article has been edited and prepared for publication here by HRH London / Natasha Schmidt and HRHF / Niels Jacob Harbitz.

Yevloyev had flown in from Moscow on the same plane with the president of the region. On disembarking from the plane Yevloyev was forced into a police car and taken in an unknown destination. Relatives found him on a highway with a bullet wound in his head. He was taken to a hospital where he died. Authorities say a policeman shot Yevloyev accidentally when the website owner attempted to seize his gun. But the opposition in Ingushetia
insists the killing was deliberate. Ingushetiya.ru is recognised as one of the main non-governmental sources of information in the North Caucasian autonomous republic of Ingushetia. It is often  strongly critical of local authorities. According to Ingushetian opposition leaders, this was a deliberate and premeditated execution of an oppositional journalist. A manslaughter investigation has already been opened by Ingushetia´s public prosecutor.
 
Mr. Yevloev stopped working as editor of ingushetia.ru in November 2007, but remained its legal owner. Its current editor, Roza Malsagova, recently left the Russian Federation and has sought political asylum in France, alleging severe pressure on her by authorities, including through a number of criminal cases brought against her in connection with her editing of the site.
 
The Ingushetian prosecutor has made several attempts to close the site, accusing it of distributing extremist material and incitement to interethnic hatred. Yevloev disputed the claims. On 6 June, a Moscow court ruled that the site published extremist material and
ordered its closure. However, the court was unable to enforce the decision as it is
registered in the United States.
   
Russia´s Law on Countering Extremist Activities defines extremist activity very broadly, leaving the law open to misuse. A further article grants special protection to public officials and stipulates that to accuse a public official of extremism may itself be classed as extremist activity.
 
“The death of Magomed Yevloev can only contribute to the environment of fear and intimidation in which Russian oppositional media are forced to operate. The ability to publish oppositional views without fear of retribution is particularly crucial in the North Caucasus region which is dealing with the difficult issues of post-conflict reconciliation and trust building,” said Dr. Agnes Callamard, ARTICLE 19 Executive Director.
 
Article 19ARTICLE 19 has called on the Russian government to fulfil its obligations under Article 19 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and Article 10 of the European Convention of Human Rights, which guarantee the right to freedom of expression in similar terms and are both legally binding in the Russian Federation. Both these articles not only place an obligation on governments to refrain from interfering in the work of the media, but also impose a positive obligation on the state to create all necessary conditions for the fulfilment of the right to freedom of expression, including protection of media from violence and persecution.
 
They also oblige governments to create an environment that encourages pluralism and political debate, and where a diverse media can operate safely and without obstruction. Such an environment currently does not exist in the Russian Federation.
 
ARTICLE 19 urges that
-Russian authorities urgently conduct a full and transparent investigation into Mr. Yevloev´s death at the federal level to ensure the maximum impartiality of the investigation.
-The Government of the Russian Federation to take measures as a matter of urgency to reverse the trend of deteriorating protection of journalists. It sharply diminishes the quality of Russia´s investigative media reporting, and deprives the public of their right to information and debate on matters of public importance.
-authorities ensure that any restrictions on freedom of expression on the grounds of extremism apply only where there is a direct and immediate link between the expression and the likelihood or occurrence of violence.
-provisions in the Law on Countering Extremist Activities providing special protection to the reputations of public officials be repealed.
 
   
For further information on the Malsagova case, see: http://www.ifex.org/en/content/view/full/95973
For further information on previous attempts to close ingushetia.ru website, see: http://www.ifex.org/en/content/view/full/94558
For further information, contact Oliver Charles, ARTICLE 19, 6-8 Amwell Street, London, EC1R 1UQ, U.K., tel: +44 20 7278 9292, fax: +44 20 7278 7660, e-mail: oliver@article19.org , info@article19.org, Internet: http://www.article19.org