Ognianova: ICPO is ready to reconsider Magomed Evloev's murder case

At the meeting at the ICPO, the CPJ experts were told that the Committee is involved in all the above mentioned 19 murder cases of Russian journalists; inspectors are ready to reconsider some of them, for example, the murder case of Magomed Evloev, owner of the website "Ingushetia.Ru".

This was reported by Nina Ognianova, Programme Coordinator for Europe and Central Asia of the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ).

"At the meeting with bosses of the ICPO and personally with its head Alexander Bastrykin, investigators stated that the criminal case on the murder of Magomed Evloev may be reviewed in case of appealed against," Nina Ognianova said to the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.

According to her story, there is significant progress in one more case.

"Two defendants in the murder case of Anastasia Baburova, a freelance correspondent of the "Novaya Gazeta", and lawyer Stanislav Markelov are awaiting trial. The inspector dealing with this case told us that the investigation works on other persons, also suspected of involvement in this murder," said Ms Ognianova.

The impunity of murderers of journalists in Russia is very harmful for the reputation of Russia, Alexander Bastrykin said at the meeting.

"This damage to reputation is a part of the work that we do. And this is our main way of exerting pressure. And the second way of doing is the interest of Russian media," Joel Simon, the CPJ Executive Director, told the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.

According to Nina Ognianova, last year the CPJ representatives established contacts with the ICPO, and when the former had questions, they sent written requests to the ICPO. But now the ICPO has offered to go further - to establish regular contacts with the CPJ.

According to Kati Marton, the toolkit of the CPJ includes also a variant of pressing the authorities through the leaders of their own countries.