(Russian journalist) Anna Politkovskaya: POISONED BY PUTIN (literally)

[HuckleB]

The horror of Beslan was made still worse by the intimidation of Russia’s servile media
http://www.chechentimes.org/en/press/?id=21410

originally in the Guardian: http://www.guardian.co.uk/comment/story/0,,1300193,00.html

"It is the morning of September 1. Reports from North Ossetia are hard to believe: a school in Beslan has been seized. Half an hour to pack my things as my mind works furiously on how to get to the Caucasus. And another thought: to look for the Chechen separatist leader, Aslan Maskhadov, let him come out of hiding, let him go to the hostage-takers, and then ask them to free the children. Then followed a long evening at Vnukovo airport. Crowds of journalists were trying to get on a plane south, just as flights were being postponed. Obviously, there are some people who would like to delay our departure. I use my mobile and speak openly about the purpose of my flight: "Look for Maskhadov, persuade Maskhadov."

We have long stopped talking over our phones openly, assuming they are tapped. But this is an emergency. Eventually a man introduces himself as an airport executive: "I’ll put you on a flight to Rostov." In the minibus, the driver tells me that the Russian security services, the FSB, told him to put me on the Rostov flight. As I board, my eyes meet those of three passengers sitting in a group: malicious eyes, looking at an enemy. But I don’t pay attention. This is the way most FSB people look at me.

The plane takes off. I ask for a tea. It is many hours by road from Rostov to Beslan and war has taught me that it’s better not to eat. At 21:50 I drink it. At 22:00 I realise that I have to call the air stewardess as I am rapidly losing consciousness. My other memories are scrappy: the stewardess weeps and shouts: "We’re landing, hold on!"

"Welcome back," said a woman bending over me in Rostov regional hospital. The nurse tells me that when they brought me in I was «almost hopeless». Then she whispers: "My dear, they tried to poison you." All the tests taken at the airport have been destroyed — on orders "from on high," say the doctors.


..."

This was reported the week of the tragedy, but ignored by nearly everyone. I hope this helps some people to understand what is going on in Russia today with Putin in power.

[HuckleB]

1. Second journalist 'drugged' by Russians

http://media.guardian.co.uk/broadcast/story/0,,1301649,00.html

"A Georgian journalist detained by Russian authorities after reporting on the Beslan school massacre was drugged, according to medical experts, raising fresh concerns about press freedom in Russia.

She is the second journalist to claim she was poisoned while trying to cover the school siege in North Ossetia - earlier this week Anna Politkovskaya, one of President Vladimir Putin's most outspoken critics, said she had been drugged on a flight to a nearby airport.

Nana Lezhava of the independent Georgian broadcaster Rustavi-2 said she had slept for 24 hours while in the custody of the Russian authorities after being given coffee in her cell, and felt ill when she woke up.

Gela Lezhava of the Georgian drug research institute told reporters that urine samples taken from Lezhava after her release this week showed traces of tranquilisers, and that he suspected the journalist was drugged.

..."

Is there any doubt that Putin's goal is to keep things mum about Beslan and Chechnya?

[HuckleB]

2. For Russia, no news is bad news in the wake of Beslan

"Go back to 2000 and the promulgation of the Doctrine of Information Security for the Russian Federation. What did it say? That there is 'a need to develop special legal and organisational mechanisms to prevent unlawful information and psychological influences on the mass consciousness'.

Which, being interpreted, meant exactly what? That a stream of editors and journalists could be murdered without the police breaking much investigatory sweat. That awkward magazines could be thrown out of their offices at a moment's notice. That state-controlled - or state-cowed - tele vision would make an almighty hash of covering Beslan, squittering away from live coverage and any evidence that challenged the authorities' version of events or numbers of casualties involved.

That the editor of Izvestia, who did challenge all of those things and more, would go bump into the night even faster than Piers Morgan (and without Piers's payoff). That thereupon an independent opinion poll would show that only 13 per cent of (very naive or trusting) Russians believed what the media said - a slagheap of scepticism that of course also landed at President Putin's doorstep. The President lies, the police and the army lie, the broadcasters lie - and all the while oligarch press barons like Potanin of Izvestia let sleeping dogs lie.

'We are hurtling back into a Soviet abyss, into an information vacuum that spells death from our own ignorance,' wrote Anna Politkovskaya of Novaya Gazeta in the Guardian. What is it that George W keeps saying about fighting terror with truth and justice? The real truth - a truth beyond spin - is that when credibility gets lost, then everything else gets lost as well - disappearing somewhere up its own organisational mechanism."


This part is about half-way down the piece at: http://observer.guardian.co.uk/business/story/0,,1302428,00.html

[HuckleB]

3. This is not of interest at DU?

How come?

[Bjornsdotter]

4. OMG.....

.....it's a good thing Bush doesn't read the papers...it might give him ideas.

Seriously, I'm stunned and appalled by it.

Cheers,
Kim :toast:

[HuckleB]

6. No doubt about it.

Putin and * are far too much of the same kind.

¡salud!

[smirkymonkey]

5. Kick!

:kick: