New methods used to discredit North-Caucasian journalists, Moscow conference asserts

Independent journalists of Northern Caucasus are subjected to pressure; and a number of methods to discredit them are used: in particular, they are accused of supporting extremists and Wahhabism. Russian authorities should include journalists in the number of persons to be released on amnesty. This was stated by participants of the international conference "Freedom of speech: Russian realities, problems and prospects", held on December 14 in Moscow.

According to Ali Kamalov, Chairman of the Union of Journalists of Dagestan, one of the newspapers published an ordered article alleging that he could be one of the organizers of the killings of journalists. Such materials about other journalists appear on other websites. "They write nasty things about journalists. So, they wrote about Khadjimurad Kamalov (a founder of the newspaper 'Chernovik' (Draft), killed in 2011, note of the "Caucasian Knot") that he was a Wahhabi and that he made advances to extremists," Ali Kamalov has stated.

Blogger Magomed Mutsolgov, the editor-in-chief of the newspaper "Public Tribune of Ingushetia", believes that "propaganda departments" operate in each region. "They bribe bloggers, pay for 'trolls', deliberately counteracting fair speech," Magomed Mutsolgov has said.

According to Ali Kamalov, during the past 20 years, 16 journalists were killed in Dagestan. He states that none of those killings has been resolved.

Lawyer Biyakai Magomedov proposed to create a database, a kind of "black list" of experts and judges, who pronounce consciously unfair sentences and decisions in cases against journalists.