Lady-journalist who accused Putin of Dubrovka terror act finds refuge in Great Britain

Elena Tregubova, former journalist of the "Kommersant" newspaper, who accused Putin of the terror act in Dubrovka, received political asylum in Great Britain.

"It's a huge relief," Ms Tregubova said to Reuters. "It's a great and courageous step of the British government."

However, the British Ministry of Internal Affairs refused to confirm this information, having referred that the government gives no comments on particular cases.

We remind you that earlier Elena Tregubova had applied for refuge in Britain. After her book "Tales of Kremlin Digger" about the life of the leaders of the state was published, an attempt was made on Tregubova's life. In February 2004, a bomb exploded at the door of her flat.

Elena Tregubova is known first of all for her critiques of the top managers of Russia, and personally Vladimir Putin. Thus, after the terror act in Dubrovka, the information website "Grani.Ru" placed Tregubova's material, in which the journalist openly said that the victims at the theatrical centre had paid their lives for the policy of President of Russia in Chechnya.

The "Caucasian Knot" wrote that earlier human rights activists reproached Russian authorities many times for their biased attitude to the journalists who exposed Chechen problems. Cases when entrance to Russia was forbidden for journalists and human rights activists happened for the first time in connection with Chechnya. For the last eight years, according to Oleg Panfilov, Director of the Centre of Extreme Journalism, there were about 40 such cases.