Adygea: journalist charged with kindling ethnic enmity

In Adygea, Vladimir Karataev, former editor-in-chief of the newspaper "Zakubanye", has been charged with fulfilment of actions aimed at kindling hatred and enmity, and at humiliating dignity of a group of persons on the basis of a nationality, accomplished with use of mass media.

In May 2007, Vladimir Karataev published in the newspaper, in violation of federal legislation, with the aim to humiliate the national dignity of non-Russian people, the poem entitled "Be a Russian!" The newspaper was printed in 2000 copies; and later at least 896 copies were disseminated in the territory of Adygea. This was stated by the press service of Investigatory Department for Adygea of the ICPO (Investigatory Committee at the Prosecutor's Office) of the Russian Federation.

"Indeed, the newspaper 'Zakubanye' published the poem of well-known Russian poet Evgeniy Skvoreshny 'Be a Russian!'. His poems were published by well-known magazines of Novosibirsk. The poem is a reprint from the newspaper named 'News of South-Russian Slavs', and under the media legislation, the newspaper should not respond for reprinting materials from other media. Moreover, this poem is not on the list of literature recognized by the court to be extremist," the "Yuga.Ru" Agency quotes Mr Karataev's objection.

The criminal against Vladimir Karataev, former editor-in-chief of the Republic-wide newspaper "Zakubanye" and Chairman of the Executive Committee of the "Union of Slavs of Adygea", was initiated on September 23rd, 2008, and on October 7, 2008, he lodged a protest to the Public Prosecutor of Adygea and a complaint to the head of the Investigatory Department of the ICPO. Then, Mr Karataev retired from the post of the editor-in-chief of the newspaper in summer of 2008.