Russian Journalist Dies in Fall From Window
Ivan Safronov, the military affairs writer for Kommersant, died Friday after falling from a fifth-story window in the stairwell of his apartment building in Moscow, officials said.
Hmmm, banana peel? I think not.
This latest incident makes fourteen journalists that have died under mysterious circumstances during Putin's reign. The New Yorker had an excellent piece on the subject in January. Be warned, it's long, but fascinating.
Why are Vladimir Putin’s Opponents Dying?
This is totalitarian repression of the press. It would behoove our journalists to remember that when they write their hit pieces about the "repression of free speech" by the Bush White House.
7 comments:
I did not realize there were that many. It does sound a bit strange, like a movie script.
Can you just imagine if so many al-Rueters or AP reporters started meeting with unfortunate premature ends shortly after critizing the Prez?
There'd be hell to pay, for sure!
Press freedom is often taken for granted in the places that truly have it!
-- david
That had to be SOME banana peel!
My god, that's shocking. I had no idea that journalist mortality was quite that bad in Russia.
The cold war may be over, and capitalism won the ideological war, but the communist melody lingers.
Wouldn't you hope there would be greater outrage internationally?
caz: I would hope for greater outrage, but I won't hold my breath waiting for it.
In fact, just yesterday I read about a doctor & her daughter, who went to Russia for a wedding, & were poisoned with thalium! It's out of control.
This was on Glen Beck last night (don't normally watch that show, but it's one of the few things my mom will watch).
Apparently this is one in several connected "accidents". The first was a reporter (uncovering scandal in the russian govt) who died of "allergies" (poison). The person investigating his death was shot in her apartment - nothing was stolen. The person investigating HER death "fell" from a fifth story window. Another russian reporter - who was in MARYLAND at the time - was investigating russian arms deals to iran and syria, and he was also shot in his driveway, again, nothing was stolen.
Putin is one scary dude.
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