Dagestan: staff members of three newspapers reject accusations of anti-state policy

Igor Barinov, the head of the Federal Agency for Nationality Affairs, has called on the authorities "to use force" against three newspapers in Dagestan. He has stated that their activities "border on betrayal of national interests." Staff members of the above newspapers have reported no reasons for such statements.

Igor Barinov has made the above statement in Pyatigorsk, at the 3^rd Mass Media Forum of the North-Caucasian Federal District (NCFD) held on December 10. He talked of the newspapers "Novoye Delo", "Chernovik", and "Svobodnaya Respublika".

"They place on the same shelf our pilots, who fight in Syria, and terrorists. They justify the actions of Turkey, which downed our bomber aircraft. It seems to me that here the state should already use its power and authority," stated Igor Barinov at the plenary session, the shorthand report of which was quoted by the RIA "Derbent".

According to Gadjimurad Sagitov, the editor-in-chief of the weekly newspaper "Novoye Delo", such an assessment is likely to be caused by excessive trust expressed by Igor Barinov towards Dagestani officials.

"They apparently want to shift on the media their responsibility for some failures in their own activities," Gadjimurad Sagitov told the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.

Mairbek Agaev, the editor-in-chief of the newspaper "Chernovik", believes that "Igor Barinov is completely misled by Dagestani top-ranking officials and their subordinates." "Our editorial stuff is not going to do anything or to offer excuses to anyone. As a usual, we shall continue to call a thief a thief, a bandit a bandit, and a bribe-taker - a bribe-taker," stated Mairbek Agaev in his interview to the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.

Full text of the article is available on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’.