H. E. Aslan Maskhadov
President of the Chechen Republic
Grozny
Chechnya

Vienna, 5 March 1997

Your Excellency,

The International Press Institute (IPI) strongly condemns the kidnapping of two journalists in Chechnya.

IPI is informed that a correspondent for Itar-Tass, Nikolai Zagnoiko, and a reporter working for Radio Russia were kidnapped on Tuesday, 4 March 1997, while travelling to the Chechen capital of Grozny, where they are based. According to witnesses, the car in which the were travelling was stopped by armed men, the journalists were forced to get into another car and then driven off to an unknown destination.

Mr. Zagnoiko was last heard from at 15:00, when he contacted his editors to transmit an interview with Vice-Premier Movladi Udugov. Radio Russia reported that two of their reporters, Yuri Arkhipov and Nikolai Mamolahvili, were currently in Chechnya and that it was not yet clear which of the two had been kidnapped.

IPI, the global network of editors and media executives from newspapers, magazines, broadcasting organisations and news agencies in 98 countries, urges Your Excellency to ensure that the two journalists are freed immediately and that those responsible are brought to justice. We further urge that all possible steps are taken to guarantee that journalists covering events in Chechnya are allowed to report freely and without fear of harassment.

We thank you for your attention.

Yours sincerely,

Johann P. Fritz
Director