Agency asks Dagestan Interior Minister to defend domestic journalists

The "Caucasus Times" News Agency has addressed the head of the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA) of Dagestan with a demand "to restrain those who exerts unreasonable and illegal pressure on journalists and the 'Free Republic' newspaper."

The open letter sent to Adilgerei Magomedtagirov, Minister of Internal Affairs of Dagestan, expresses a request "to influence the MIA's employees who are involved in persecuting the independent edition 'Free Republic' and its journalists."

Aishat Abdullaeva, editor-in-chief of the Dagestan newspaper "Free Republic", told the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent that on December 7, 2007, her newspaper published an article "Dagestanians were not going to take part in the elections... but then changed their mind?"

According to Ms Abdullaeva, the article was based on the pre-election polling held by the "Caucasus Times" News Agency with comments made by Diana Alieva, a journalist of the "Free Republic" newspaper.

According to the polling results as presented by the Agency, 40% of Dagestan residents were not going to vote at the State Duma elections.

Being asked about whom they thought to be guilty of the recent murders and kidnappings in Dagestan, about one third of respondents (31%) answered that they were inclined to blame Islamic extremists and Wahhabites. 23% imposed the guilt for the growth of violence in the Republic on special services, 21% - on federal powers, and 18% - on local authorities.

About 2% of respondents imposed the guilt for the violence that had flooded the country on the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Dagestan. The publication of this fact, in the opinion of the "Caucasus Times", was the reason of journalists' prosecution by MIA employees.