Akhmed Zakayev’s Petition for journalist Yelena Maglevannaya
June, 12rd 2010
Chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers of CRI, Akhmed Zakayev appealed to the President of Finland Tarja Halonen with a petition for political asylum for a journalist and human rights activist Yelena Maglevannaya. The text of the petition was provided to the editorial of CP for publication by the press service of the Government of the CRI, and in particular says:
I appeal to you to facilitate an early solution on granting political asylum to a journalist Yelena Maglevannaya.
In Russia, independent-minded journalists who criticized the government, especially on such an unpleasant topic for the Russian leadership, as its aggression against Chechnya are persecuted. Some of them, as Anna Politkovskaya and Natalya Estemirova, were killed, others, as Boris Stomakhin and Pavel Lyuzakov, were imprisoned. It is certain to say that freedom of speech in Russia is completely absent.
Yelena Maglevannaya has also been prosecuted for her articles about tortures of Chechen prisoners in the Russian counters. I believe that her story is fully consistent with the provisions of the Geneva Convention on refugees in that its part which refers to persecution for reasons of political opinion.
In case the journalist is given back to Russia she will be awaited either close confinement for refusing to comply the unacceptable for her court's decision, that is confession of her articles calumny (article 315 of Russian Criminal Code - failure to a court decision), or death at the fascists’ hands, which Russian authorities directly support.
In this regard, I ask you for a positive solution on the petition for asylum of the journalist Yelena Maglevannaya.
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