Journalist Ruslan Gereev attacked in Dagestan

Today, at 5 o'clock in the afternoon, in Makhachkala, in Akushinsky Avenue, five unidentified men attacked and beat Ruslan Gereev, the deputy director general and editor of the political division of the newspaper "Nastoyascheye Vremya" (Present Time), said Milrad Fatullaev, the editor-in-chief.

"The attack occurred near the editorial office. Apparently, they had shadowed Ruslan. He was in the office of businessman Vagab Kazibekov. When he went out, Ruslan was called from behind. When he turned around, five unknown young men attacked him and began beating. He has a haematoma in his right temple, an elbow injury and, probably, internal injuries. Doctors say that the haematoma could be a result of the blow with brass knuckles or a pistol handle a gun," said Fatullaev.

According to Ruslan Gereev, he has only one version of the incident; it had to do with the recent events in the newspaper, the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent reports.

A case was initiated against the newspaper under Part 4, Article 5.60, of the Russian Administrative Code: "Failure to prevent slander in publicly performed work or mass media". According to law enforcement bodies, the newspaper had published defamatory information in regard to the head of the republic Magomedsalam Magomedov. The reason for the persecution was in the article by Nadira Isaeva "Caucasus in the Lead", published on February 3. The trial was scheduled for April 18, but was postponed to April 25 at the request of the editor-in-chief of the weekly "Nastoyascheye Vremya" Milrad Fatullaev, who was then away on business.

"I can't directly link this attack with the litigation; but we simply have no other versions. Ruslan had no problems – in his family, at home; he had no business or other problems. Just today our lawyer has petitioned about transfer of our case to Moscow, because here judges and prosecutors get involved, and the head of the department, who has no right to represent the interests of the head of Dagestan. The case has received a considerable resonance and got beyond the fact itself; and apparently someone did not like it. Ruslan has recently been very active in commenting on the case to the press," said Fatullaev.