Russia
Police raid two Russian newspapers for counterfeitPosted Apr 2 2008
Police raided two newspapers in Russia in one week for supposedly using counterfeit computer software, according to CPJ. Police in the southern Russian town of Togliatti stormed Tolyatinskoye Obozreniye, a local independent weekly, on Feb. 1. The policemen, members of the high tech crimes section of the local department, confiscated the newspaper's computers because of supposed use of pirated software. The staff, however, believe they were targeted because of their endorsement of the opposition candidate in the town's upcoming March 2 mayoral elections. The candidate, Sergey Andreyev, has been openly critical of President's Putin's party, United Russia. On Feb. 6, the publishing office of Minuty Veka, a weekly newspaper, was raided by St. Petersburg police for the same reason. All six of their computers were seized, and the publishing of the newspaper has since ceased. The newspaper's predecessor, Novy Petersburg, had been shut down by city prosecutors in November of last year for obstruction of justice and defamation charges. Its editor, Nikolai Andrushchenko, is still in jail since his arrest the same month.