H. E. Aslan Maskhadov
President of the Chechen Republic
Grozny
Chechnya
Vienna, 14 May 1997
Your Excellency,
The International Press Institute (IPI) is most concerned about the fate of a Russian television crew kidnapped in Chechnya.
IPI is informed that armed gunmen seized the television crew of NTV, the largest private television station in Moscow, on 10 May 1997, near the village of Samashki, approximately thirty kilometres west of the Chechen capital, Grozny. The TV crew, comprising two men and leading Russian TV journalist Elena Masyuk, the first female war correspondent in Russia, was returning to base with film of a rally of Chechen guerrilla commander Salman Raduyev’s supporters in Grozny when they were seized. We understand that no demands have been made by the kidnappers.
The latest in a string of kidnappings in the region, we understand that the Chechen leadership has described the incident as a threat to the peace process and promised that “the response will be tough and cruel.”
IPI, the global network of editors and media executives from newspapers, magazines, broadcasting organisations and news agencies in 98 countries, appeals to both the Chechen and Russian governments to cooperate closely in a combined effort to find Ms. Masyuk and her crew and urges the authorities to undertake their utmost in diplomatic skills and sensitivity in order not to endanger the lives of the three journalists. We further urge that all possible steps are taken to guarantee safe working conditions for journalists covering events in Chechnya.
We thank you for your attention.
Yours sincerely,
Johann P. Fritz
Director