Russia: Prominent Journalist Attacked

Trust Law ^ | April 5, 2012 | Content Partner // Human Rights Watch

[No One Special]

Russian authorities should carry out a prompt and effective investigation into the vicious beating by unknown assailants of Elena Milashina, a prominent Russian journalist and human rights defender.

(Moscow) - Russian authorities should carry out a prompt and effective investigation into the vicious beating by unknown assailants of Elena Milashina, a prominent Russian journalist and human rights defender, Human Rights Watch said today.

Shortly after midnight on April 5, 2012, two men attacked Milashina, a journalist with the leading Russian independent newspaper Novaya Gazeta, and her friend Ella Asoyan, a program officer at Freedom House, an American human rights and democracy organization. The attack took place near Milashina's home in the Moscow suburb of Balashikha. Asoyan was passing through Moscow and staying with Milashina for the night.

"When a courageous journalist who works in a hostile environment is attacked, the authorities need to examine whether what may look like common mugging could be linked to her professional activity," said Hugh Williamson, Europe and Central Asia director at Human Rights Watch. "In either case, the authorities need to take immediate steps to identify the attackers and hold them to account."    

Milashina told Human Rights Watch that the attackers kicked and punched her, primarily on her head. She had multiple bruises, including over a dozen hematomas on her head, and lost a tooth. The attackers also punched Asoyan several times, but Milashina appeared to be their primary target. The attackers took Milashina's wallet and Asoyan's laptop computer. They also tried to grab Milashina's backpack with her laptop but she put up resistance. Then three passersby intervened and the attackers walked away.

After the brutal murder of Anna Politkovskaya, Novaya Gazeta's star correspondent, in 2006, Milashina picked up her mantle, reporting on human rights abuses in Russia's turbulent North Caucasus region, including Chechnya. When Natalia Estemirova, a leading Chechen human rights defender and Milashina's close collaborator, was brazenly murdered in July 2009, she started an independent investigation into the killing. Novaya Gazeta told Human Rights Watch that they do not exclude the possibility that the attack on Milashina was linked to her professional activity. In recent years, Milashina has received numerous threats in connection to her reporting.     

Milashina called the police once the assailants fled, around 12:40 a.m. After waiting for about 30 minutes, she and Asoyan went to Milashina's home. Milashina was bleeding and feeling weak. At 2 a.m., they received a call from the three women who had helped them earlier and to whom they had given their phone numbers, informing them that the police had arrived at the scene of the attack.

Milashina and her friend went back to the site and saw a police car with police officers questioning one of the witnesses. The police officers remained in the car, ignoring Milashina and Asoyan. They waited another 15 minutes in the cold and decided to return home. The police officers followed them soon after and caught up to them near Milashina's house.

Milashina said that one of the police officers leaned out of the car and suggested taking them to a hospital to document their injuries. However, Milashina said, she felt the police official spoke rudely to her and was not sincere in his offer of help. Exhausted and in pain from the beating and long wait outside, Milashina and Asoyan returned to Milashina's home. The next morning, Milashina went to a hospital to get a medical report. She and Asoyan also gave statements to the police. A preliminary inquiry into the attack is in progress.

"We are troubled by the fact that the police seemed to take an inexplicably long time to get to the scene of the attack and seemed not to make it a priority to get medical assistance for Milashina and her friend, who were clearly suffering," Williamson said.

The Russian authorities should conduct a full and impartial investigation into the attack on Milashina and Asoyan, Human Rights Watch said. The reason for the reported 90-minute delay between the time the emergency call was placed and the police car's arrival at the scene, and the police procedures once they arrived, should also be investigated.

In 2009, Human Rights Watch awarded Elena Milashina one of the organization's prestigious Alison Des Forges Awards. The awards, given annually, celebrate the valor of individuals who put their lives on the line to protect the dignity and rights of others.

[Timber Rattler]

Now why would Russian “authorities” do that? They were probably the ones who ordered the attack.

[Navy Patriot]

Chechen terrorist bombers will fret, Pali rocketeers will moan, and Human Rights Watch will still be unable to find a murdered Christian in North Africa or Egypt.

[Surrounded_too]

It was either Putin’s or Obama’s fault.

[familyop]

So the Russian government didn’t already poison all of the independent journalists?

[sergeantdave]

Looky here. Some FReepers are lauding the America-hating commies at Human Rights Watch as a credible organization.

[Greysard]

She appears to be yet another journalist who is working toward Chechen cause. You don't even need to look at Putin in search of attackers; there are plenty of young, strong men in Russia who don't exactly approve painting Chechens as innocent victims of the big, bad bear. Many of those men fought in Afghanistan and Chechnya; they experience minimal love toward Wahhabis and their Islam.

This approach to journalism is not unique to Russia. If one side (the government, or the society) is doing the right thing then what can you do to stand out? You can't go out and, say, laud traditional family values. That would be another "dog bites man" story. What you do is this - you take the opposite side, where no sane journalist is working, and you take that position and call yourself the defender of rights of homosexuals. This instantly makes you unique, you stand out in the crowd, and you become famous. Since the society (and largely the government) are already supporting reasonable and traditional values, more and more journalists are choosing weird, strange and sometimes evil causes for their platform. There is simply nothing else that they can stand and be seen.

[Navy Patriot]

Since the society (and largely the government) are already supporting reasonable and traditional values, more and more journalists are choosing weird, strange and sometimes evil causes for their platform. There is simply nothing else that they can stand and be seen.

An interesting and well stated observation.

I have no love for MSM, "independent", "investigative", most foreign and world press journalists and their cheerleading for the most vile animals on the face of the planet, and find it amusing that they squeal for help from the very people they shill against on a regular basis.

Likely this reporterette will be able to read her copy at night as she will probably end up glowing brightly in the dark.

[cunning_fish]

It took some time for a police a arrive at scene? It happens in urban environment sometimes. I wonder what kind of behaviour they wanted from officers?
A cop was sitting in a car interrogating a witness, how could one talk to a victim and another witness at the same time? Next a victim refused to document injuries and came home ruining evedence for their own case. Did they want cops to kiss their asses or what? Typical liberal attention whores.

Sure, it was Putin who ordered to rob her of her purse on a drank walk from party. He has ordered police to ignore her, too.