Attack on a journalist committed in Vladikavkaz

In the city of Vladikavkaz, the capital of North Ossetia-Alania, two men have forced David Mamedov, a journalist, into a car and searched him by accusing him of spreading narcotic drugs, Mamedov himself announced on February 2. The local branch of the Russian Union of Journalists has called on the police to promptly investigate the attack on Mamedov.

The incident occurred on February 1 in Vladikavkaz, David Mamedov told the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent. "The strangers called me by crying out: 'Hey, you.' They said that I had just thrown off the [drugs] tab and they would 'close me.' They took away my phone, forced me into a car and said that they were shadowing me and knew that I was making slashes of drugs; they didn't let me say a word; they shut my mouth.... They searched me for the presence of prohibited substances and examined my backpack, where I had my photo camera; then they asked what I need it for, where and what I was going to film. Then, they examined all the messages in my phone," said the journalist.

According to his story, there were two attackers.

David Mamedov has added that he works as a correspondent for the "Public Television of Russia", and also collaborates with the "Match.TV", NTV and "Alif.TV".

The regional branch of the Russian Union of Journalists has appealed to the leadership of the republic's Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA) with a request "to ensure a prompt and objective law enforcers' response to the incident," says the statement posted on the branch's website.

This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on February 2, 2020 at 07:09 pm MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.