In Dagestan, new charge presented to "Chernovik" journalists

Nadira Isaeva, editor-in-chief of the weekly "Chernovik" (Blueprint), and journalist Arthur Mamaev will face a new charge.

The first charge under Article 282 ("Kindling hatred or enmity, and humiliation of one's dignity") of the Russian Criminal Code was presented to five employees of the weekly, including Isaeva and Mamaev, earlier in February.

Biyakai Magomedov, lawyer of "Chernovik", told the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent that today Maxim Mirzabalaev, inspector of the investigatory committee of the Prosecutor's Office on the Republic of Dagestan, has summoned Nadira Isaeva and Arthur Mamaev to present a new charge to them on another criminal case opened against them.

"The point is that on July 31, 2008, Criminal Case No. 86857 was opened, out of which Mirzabalaev later isolated another Criminal Case - No. 96821 - into separate proceedings and sent it to the Leninskiy Court of Makhachkala," the lawyer has explained.

Today, Nadira Isaeva, editor-in-chief of "Chernovik", has commented on the general situation, in her opinion, with the litigations against her edition and colleagues-journalists. "The case 'collapses' and the inquiry has got lost in its own hooks baited for journalists," Ms Isaeva said to the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.

Today, preliminary hearings should have taken place on the criminal case against journalists of "Chernovik", however Zainutdin Madanov, Judge of the Leninskiy Court of Makhachkala, has satisfied the petition of the prosecutor's office and postponed the preliminary hearings till unknown date because of the prosecution's unpreparedness for the litigation.