Pressure on journalists increasing

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According to a report about a possible change in the highest Offices of Russia, two journalists of Moscow newspaper Kommersant, your point will be lost. DW correspondent Miodrag Soric reported from Moscow.

A at first glance, unspectacular article employs the policy of Moscow. The economic newspaper Kommersant reported on July 17. April, that the President of the Federation Council, the second chamber of the Parliament of Russia Valentina Matvienko, could give up her Job soon. In the article the sources are cited from the state apparatus. After that Matvienko would take over the management of the state pension Fund. Details will be discussed in may in a conversation between her and President Putin. In the article, a possible successor at the head of the Federation Council called: Sergei Naryshkin, currently chief of the Foreign intelligence is. Both Matvienko, as well as Naryshkin are one of the close followers of the President.

Meanwhile, Kommersant has encouraged the authors of this article, Ivan Safronov, and Maxim Ivanov, the notice to be submitted. Apparently, someone from the publisher had demanded to know more about the sources of the article. The authors referred to in the journalism usual source of protection whereupon they were asked to leave the Kommersant.

Kommersant Editor-In-Chief Vladimir Borisovitsch Zelonkin

Editor-in-chief Vladimir Borisovitsch Zelonkin expressed in an interview with Deutsche Welle doubts as to the existence of the sources of its former authors. “I didn’t want to have the sources, but wanted to make sure that it gives you. I have a doubt,” he told DW.

A wave of solidarity

On Monday evening, have declared their 13 editors with Ivan Safronov and Maxim Ivanov solidarity and the sheets also leave. They worked as Safronov and Ivanov in the internal political Department of the Kommersant. The publisher responded quickly: The editors can now no longer passes back to your Computer, your House is invalid. Apparently, the publisher is pursuing a hard line.

The dismissal will have on the work of the leaf no effect, believes editor-in-chief Vladimir Borisovitsch Zelonkin. He also denies that the owners of the media, Kommersant house, the Kremlin, close to Oligarch Alisher Usmanov, had not exerted pressure. “To me, he has never asked, who is behind the article”, the editor-in-chief.

Alisher Usmanov – owner of the Kommersant

The dismissed editors see it that way. In social media, they write that behind the dismissal of Safronov and Sergei Ivanov, the owner is stuck. Editors who work for Kommersant, but in particular, doesn’t want to suspect this as well.

Ivanov and Safronov have been working for many years in the business paper and are considered to be reliable. Kremlin spokesman Dimitri Peskov said in a statement to the transactions in Kommersant: “Ivan Safronov is one of the most talented and most professional journalists, we know.” Worried also Mikhail Fedotov, Chairman of the human rights Council under the President shows up. He urges the publisher of Kommersant, in editorial Affairs.

No political coverage more at Kommersant?

Editor-in-chief Vladimir Zelonkin claims against the DW, the editors had not met journalistic Standards. The resist Kommersant-employees speak: “There is no breach of Standards, but pressure on journalists”, – stated in a publication that have signed over 200 journalists. They are all for the Media Holding company, which also Kommersant published. You inform the reader, that Kommersant is no longer able to report to the Russian policy. One of the best Russian media will be destroyed, it says.

As secure information is missing, there is some speculation in Moscow, which is why the article about the possible change in the Federation Council of beats so high waves. Apparently, the mentioned politician, the President of the Federation Council Matvienko and the head of the Foreign intelligence, Naryshkin fear that it could jeopardise her future political career. You may have therefore exerted pressure on the publisher.