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Russian Chechen Friendship Society (RCFS)

Oksana Chelysheva: The slow, painful death of journalism in Russia

Oksana Chelysheva: The slow, painful death of journalism in Russia

For a while, we are not going to be acting as a clearing house for news about Chechnya

Published: 05 February 2007

Did you read about the death of press freedom in Russia the other day? Well, probably not. Independent journalism doesn't expire in a single, dramatic moment. It's more like a series of small blows, leading not to out-and-out demise but suffocation and a life-sucking loss of morale. Another significant punch was landed last month. Russia's Supreme Court in Moscow closed the Russian Chechen Friendship Society (RCFS) on 23 January. This non-governmental organisation, which I helped run in Nizhny Novgorod, was the home for independent journalism on Chechnya. So, they closed us down and - for a while at least - we're not going to be acting as a clearing-house for journalism about Chechnya.  Read More

Russian court closes leading human rights defenders group

A court ruled on 13 October 2006 to close down the Russian Chechen Friendship Society (RCFS) an organization that monitors human rights violations in Chechnya and provides assistance to victims of the conflict. The ruling in the week of the murder of journalist, Anna Politkovskaya signals a determined effort to silence those who speak out about human rights in Chechnya.

The decision is the latest in an array of judicial and legal harassments against RCFS and its staff. Russian authorities have charged RCFS of violating a range of laws including charges of tax evasion based on claims of grants received, in February 2006, Stanislav Dmitrievsky, the Director of RCFS and editor of its newspaper was convicted of inciting racial hatred under the Russian Federal Criminal Code. The charges are a result of articles featuring statements from leading Chechen separatists’ condemning the war. There is also a pending court decision to liquidate the organization.  Read More

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