Russia
Russian editor faces up to 5 years in prisonPosted Apr 20 2007
Russian Editor in Chief Viktor Shmakov of the opposition newspaper Provintsialnye Vesti (Provincial News) in the Russian republic of Bashkortostan has been charged with using the mass media to promote extremist activity. According to prosecutors in the regional capital of Ufa, east of Moscow, if convicted during the trail that started March 28, Shmakov might face up to five years in prison. Persecution of Shmakov began in late April when Federal Security Service agents arrested him for his newspaper's critical reporting. In particular, they looked at two articles published in April 2006 that called for the removal of the republic's president, Murtaza Rakhimov, and criticized corruption and human rights abuses. Shmakov did not write the articles though the author, local opposition leader Airat Dilmukhametov, is being charged also. For more information visit www.cpj.org.