The house of Editor-in-Chief of the Ogni Povolzhiya (Lights
of the Volga) newspaper and member of the Regional Council
of the Saratov branch of YABLOKO Salimzhan Gaisin was burned
on the night of June 15. His daughter and son in law and their
two children managed to get out of the burning house. A newly
built house and an adjacent old building completely burt out.
YABLOKO expresses support of the colleague and considers this
accident as obviously of criminal nature.
“We connect this not only with the journalistic activity,
but also with a pro-active attitude and human rights activities
by Salimzhan Gaisin, who conducted numerous anti-corruption
investigations, revealed facts of abuse of power by local
officials and identified numerous violations of election law,”
runs the statement by the Bureau of the Saratov branch of
YABLOKO.
Salimzhan Gaisin has been heading the Ogni Povolzhiya (Lights
of the Volga) newspaper. The paper published a series of critical
articles against head of the district Yuri Moiseyev, head
of the district administration Sergei Akimov and head of the
Marx city administration Vladimir Umnihin. The articles exposed
the facts of unlawful privatisation of land and municipal
property, as well as their distribution among the people from
the close circle of those in power. One page of the newspaper
is devoted to the news from the Marx District of which the
journalist is the resident. According to Gaisin, it was his
criticism of the local government that could cause an arson.
Fire broke out from the side of the street, from that part
where there was no wiring or electrical appliances.
“Persecution and attacks against journalists, making physical
harm or material damage to them have already become everyday
practices in the Saratov Region,” runs the statement of the
Bureau of the Saratov branch of YABLOKO. “We are demanding
from the law enforcement to immediately respond to this, find
and punish the perpetrators and those who ordered this crime”.
See also:
Freedom
of Speech
Human
Rights
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