We issued the following statement after Aleksei Venediktov, the prominent editor of independent radio station Ekho Moskvy, received a veiled threat. Venediktov last night found an ax stuck into a log by his door and a videocamera left in front of his apartment…
“We are deeply disturbed by this attempt to intimidate our colleague Aleksei Venediktov and call on Russian authorities to aggressively and thoroughly investigate it,” said CPJ Europe and Central Asia Program Coordinator Nina Ognianova. “Venediktov is head of Russia’s boldest and fiercely independent radio station that carries a variety of critical opinions. In light of the high rate of violence and intimidation against the press the government must treat this incident with the utmost seriousness.”