Russia
After journalist's death, questions remainPosted Mar 25 2007
Questions remain after the mysterious March 2 death of Russian journalist Ivan Safronov. Safronov died after he fell from a stairwell window in his apartment building. Safronov was a correspondent for the independent business daily Kommersant, which said Safronov had been working on a piece covering Russian arms deliveries to the Middle East. Safronov informed his colleagues that during his reporting on the piece he had been warned that he might face criminal investigation for revealing state secrets in the information he planned to publish. After that warning, Safronov decided not to write the story. He had reportedly been questioned by Russian security services before his death, according to a press release by the International Press institute. Three days after Safronov's death was classified as a suicide, Taganka interdistrict prosecutor's office in Moscow started investigating the possibility that someone might have forced him to jump. Friends and colleagues said he was not suicidal and no suicide note was found. The Russian Union of Journalists plans to initiate an investigation into his death. Although the possibility of suicide has not been excluded, police are checking other motives.