"We believe that a mere apology in this case is clearly not enough. It does not settle the issue. The incident goes far beyond relations between top officials and a single editorial staff person. This ugly act committed by your colleague is your challenge for the whole journalistic community, and furthermore, civil society, the development of which you have repeatedly highlighted. The closure of the “hunting season” against a Novaya Gazeta journalist does not guarantee that history of this kind will not be repeated in the future. Impunity for Mr. Bastrykin serves as a signal to the regional authorities, and therefore does not have much impact on what is going on with journalists working for the local media."
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Russian PEN, on why an apology from Alexander Bastrykin, who allegedly threatened to kill journalist Sergey Sokolov, is not sufficient. The letter to President Putin calls for Bastrykin to be prosecuted.
Click here to read the full letter.
(via penamerican)
(via penamerican)
