After interview with Ingush writer, "Roskomnadzor" suspects "Kommersant-Vlast" of extremism

The Federal Supervising Service in the Sphere of Telecom, Information Technologies and Mass Communications ("Roskomnadzor") has warned the editorial board of the magazine "Kommersant-Vlast" on inadmissibility of extremist activity. The reason was the interview with Issa Kodzoev, a writer from Ingushetia. The workers of the magazine partially agree with the Service.

The interview of the Ingush writer and Soviet-time dissident Issa Kodzoev was published in the magazine issue of November 2, 2009, under the heading "Ingushes' Thread Overdrawn" and abounds with sharp statements against Russian leaders and Russians. The Ingush writer explained why the word "Russian" became abusive in his republic. According to his version, the reason is in illegitimate actions of Russian militaries and special agents against local civil population. The writer gives facts of this sort.

In the morning on January 25, the "Kommersant" Publishing House confirmed the fact of the warning made by the "Roskomnadzor". Later, on air of the "Echo Moskvy" Radio, Maxim Kowalski, editor-in-chief of the edition, said that he "partly agreed with the warning." "Kodzoev's views are quite radical, and attributes of extremism can be found in them," he said.

However, as Mr Kowalski further noted, he disagreed with the conclusion made by the "Roskomnadzor". In his opinion, Kodzoev was "rather stating that Russians image in Ingushetia was not quite good, but he did not form such image."

"Another point is how correct is to regard just delivering of someone's views, let even very radical, as our wrongdoing. But this is what the law says," Maxim Kowalski has emphasized.

The "Sova" Information and Analytical Centre finds, in its turn, the warning passed to the "Kommersant" wrongful. "The magazine's stand in this interview is expressly neutral. The journalist presents the writer's biography key points and then asks questions, which in no case can be interpreted as his positive or negative attitude to the interviewee and his words," as the website of the Centre emphasizes.

"Consequently, the magazine is now under a threat of closing, actually, because of high professionalism of its employee," experts of the "Sova" conclude and emphasize that they regard the warning as an element of media persecutions.