Russia
Internews leaves RussiaPosted Jul 20 2007
Educated Media Foundation, a Russian nonprofit training organization for journalists, announced on July 9 that it will fold its activities, Lenta.ru reports. EMF, a group supported with private Russian funds, merged with Internews Russia in 2006.
EMF's activities were paralyzed after authorities instituted a criminal enquiry against the President of EMF Manana Aslamazyan who was found to be carrying 9,500 euros, an amount of foreign currency exceeding the allowed limit, at Sheremetyevo airport customs January 21. Aslamazyan explained she thought the limit of 10,000 was set in euros not in dollars, her lawyer explained. Investigating officers from the Interior Ministry raided the EMF offices on April 18 and removed EMF's servers, financial and administrative records. EMF bank accounts were frozen in May. Aslamazyan fled the country to France in June.
The interim chairman of EMF, Alexei Simonov, told Interfax a similar organization might continue EMF's activities in future.