RWB express concern about harassment of journalists in Rostov-on-Don

The international organization "Reporters without Borders" (RWB) has issued a release, which expresses its serious concern about the criminal prosecution of journalists Sergey Reznik and Alexander Tolmachov from Rostov-on-Don, who criticized the authorities.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that the prosecution of the journalist and publisher Alexander Tolmachov, as well as the verdict passed on November 26, 2013, to journalist Sergey Reznik, sparked protests among the public and with political parties. Rostov journalists have set up a commission on the on the issue of prosecution of their colleagues.

The statement of the RWB says that Sergey Reznik and Alexander Tolmachov became victims of the judicial punishment for their professional activities: Reznik was sentenced to 1.5 years of freedom deprivation on charges of publicly insulting a state official on the Internet, false accusation and commercial bribery, while Tolmachov is in SIZO (pre-trial prison) on charges of extortion.

The statement of the RWB, posted on its website, notes that, despite the pardoning of Mikhail Khodorkovsky, release under the amnesty of the member of the punk band Pussy Riot and "Greenpeace" environmentalists, Russian authorities continue violating fundamental citizens' rights, in particular, the freedom of speech.

In this regard, the RWB remind that in 2013 Russia took the 148th place out of 179 countries in the world ranking of media freedom.