Press Release 16.12.2014

On 29 August, 2014, Lev Shlosberg, head of the Pskov YABLOKO, PM of the Pskov Regional Assembly and renown journalist and editor of independent newspaper Pskovskyaya Gubernia [who wrote about the secret burials of Russian soldiers who were sent to fight in Ukraine and were killed there] was attacked and severely injured. This crime recieved much resonance both in Russia and abroad.

The Federal Council considers it necessary to establish an investigative team composed out of police and Federal Security Service officers so that to investigate the attack on the leader of the Pskov branch of YABLOKO Lev Shlosberg.

YABLOKO demands that the Minister of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation should ensure full and comprehensive investigation into the attack on Lev Shlosberg, take the case under special control of the Minister of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation, investigate all the circumstances of this brazen crime, establish those who performed the crime, its organisers and sponsors, get the case to trial to determine the guilt of all persons involved in the crime, regardless of their status and official position,” runs the decision of the Federal Council.

There are reasonable grounds to believe that the attack and severe injuring of the journalist and MP represented a revenge for his attempts to investigate the death of Russian military in Ukraine in May and August 2014, for his articles and other public statements on this matter, and that high rank government officials, including the military, were involved in the organisation of this crime.

The investigation has been conducted by the Interior Department of Pskov. The criminal case was originally filed under article 115 of the Criminal Code (intentional infliction of bodily harm). However, later the charges were replaced by those under Article 162 Part 2 of the Criminal Code (robbery).

YABLOKO is outraged at the attempts to present a crime with obvious political motives as a domestic crime with selfish motives: “We strongly disagree with the reclassification of the crime, and we believe that it should be reclassified in accordance with Article 277 of the Criminal Code (an attempt against a state or public figure) and Article 144 of the Criminal Code (obstruction of lawful professional activities of journalists).”

The decision of the Federal Council runs that “not only establishing of the responsibility of those involved in the attack on Lev Shlosberg depends on the conclusions of the investigation. It should be demonstrated to the public that the state protects the rights of its citizens to criticise the authorities and public investigation into tragic events, including the present case of the death of the military, political freedoms, including freedom of speech and freedom of the media.”