Show of film about Anastasia Baburova cancelled in Moscow

The documentary by Valery Balayan "Love Me, Please" dedicated to Anastasia Baburova, who was assassinated on January 19, 2009, together with lawyer Stanislav Markelov, has been taken away from the programme of two festivals held in Moscow. The organizers referred to "security considerations" as the main reason of cancellation.

The film was to be screened on November 16 at 3:00 p.m. at the Journalists' House at the festival "Profession - Journalist" and in December - at the International Film Festival on Human Rights named "Stalker". However, the film was excluded from the show, as the organizers of both events found it impossible to ensure safety of participants and viewers.

As reported by the Human Rights Centre (HRC) "Memorial", activists of three well-known Russian human rights organizations have issued a statement characterizing the incident as "cowardice".

"Rather than taking responsibility, setting a metal detector at the entrance to the hall, addressing the interior agencies, the organizers of the festival took the lead of either neo-Nazis or official fighters against extremism," runs the statement of human rights defenders. It also notes that such cowardice "is incompatible with the profession of journalist and the idea of human rights."

The statement was signed by Liudmila Alekseeva, Chair of the Moscow Helsinki Group, Oleg Orlov, Chairman of the Board of the HRC "Memorial", and Lev Ponomaryov, Executive Director of the All-Russian Public Movement "For Human Rights".