Russian authorities should thoroughly investigate threats made against Russia’s independent newspaper, Novaya Gazeta, and bring those responsible to justice, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. A funeral wreath, a severed goat’s head, and threatening notes were sent to the newspaper’s Moscow office this week in what the paper said in an editorial statement were the latest threats against its journalists.
“Russian authorities must take immediate action to ensure the safety of the brave journalists of Novaya Gazeta and its offices,” said Gulnoza Said, CPJ’s Europe and Central Asia program coordinator in New York. “Such threats would be sickening anywhere, but they must be taken particularly seriously in Russia, where words of warnings to journalists for doing their jobs are all too often followed by violence.”
The funeral wreath, which Novaya Gazeta said arrived yesterday, came with a note calling reporter Denis Korotkov “a traitor to his country.” A basket containing a severed goat’s head and red carnations, that the paper says was delivered to its editorial office today, included a note that read, “To Novaya Gazeta’s chief editor. Greetings to you and Korotkov!”
