Moscow, Sep. 09 (Forum 18/CWNews.com) - A Moscow-based lawyer specializing in religious liberty believes that the Russian government is raising the barriers against foreign missionaries seeking to enter the country.
In a study on the problem, the Forum 18 news service finds that it is difficult to determine the number of foreign religious workers who are denied entry into Russia, since many religious leaders prefer not to report visa denials.
Catholic Bishop Clemens Pickel told Forum18 that the denial of a new visa for Father Janusz Blaut in October 2004-- after the priest had served for 10 years in Russia has left his Vladikavkaz parish without a priest. Father Blaut was the 8th Catholic cleric to be denied a visa in the past 10 years.
Yet Lutheran Bishop Siegfried Springer and Protestant overseer Hugo Van Niekerk-- both denied visas this summer-- have once more been granted them.
Monday, September 19, 2005 By Nabi Abdullaev Staff Writer
Kommersant supervising editor Vladislav Borodulin said Friday that he had fired the paper's editor, Alexander Stukalin, whose ouster was signaled in a major reshuffle in June.
Borodulin, who has been identified in Kommersant's editorial masthead as the paper's editor since last Monday, had the responsibility of deciding whether Stukalin should stay with Kommersant after its owner, Boris Berezovsky, said Stukalin should go.
"Alexander Stukalin was offered the chance of working in another position in the publishing house in new interesting projects" but had not responded, Borodulin told Interfax on Friday.
Neither Borodulin nor Stukalin could be reached for comment Friday.
Stukalin's name stopped appearing in the masthead last Monday. Instead, Borodulin was identified both as supervising editor and editor. A secretary in Borodulin's office said by telephone Friday that Stukalin was fired in July. In a June interview in Kommersant, Berezovsky said Stukalin would have ... >>full
Sep 18 2005 1:34PM Trepashkin under arrest again - wife
MOSCOW. Sept 18 (Interfax) - Ex-Federal Security Service colonel Mikhail Trepashkin, earlier released from prison, has been arrested again, Trepashkin's wife Tatyana told Interfax.
"My husband has been taken away. I was told he is under arrest," Tatyana said, noting that her husband had been arrested by officials with Moscow's Zyuzinskoye interior department.
Law enforcement agencies' comments on this information are not available to Interfax.
Trepashkin earlier told Interfax that about 20 policemen encircled his home and attempted to arrest him on Sunday.
The Moscow District Military Court had sentenced Trepashkin to four years in prison for disclosing a state secret.
After serving one third of the term Trepashkin filed a request for early release.
The court granted Trepashkin's request and freed him ahead of time. But prosecution appealed this decision.
13.9.2005 20:02 MSK Members of the youth movement «Defense» picket in St. Petersburg to protect voting rights. RUSSIA, St. Petersburg. Activists from the youth movement «Defense» organized individual picketing in Smolny in defense of citizens’ voting rights, announced the St. Petersburg department of «Yablako».
Local authorities banned «Defense» activists from conducting demonstrations in Smolny and the St. Petersburg Legislative Assembly. The activists are not required by law to inform the authorities in order to hold meetings, demonstrations, processions and picketing.
The participants, wearing football – jerseys of the movement «Defense» that read «Without choice», held the election ballots in their hands. The ballot displayed only the last name of the voter and no line to state his/her choice, but, instead, the signatures of the members of the «voting committee»: Vladimir Putin, Vladislav Surkov, Ilya Klebanov.
The demonstration concluded with one of the demonstrators – Alexander Fadeev – receiving a criminal record of an administrative violation ... >>full
Russia: 'Kommersant' Purchase Changes Media Landscape
Russia -- Alisher Usmanov, director-general of 'Gazprominvestholding', 17Mar2006 Alisher Usmanov made his money in metals (TASS) PRAGUE, September 1, 2006 (RFE/RL) -- The publishing house of one of Russia's leading business dailies, "Kommersant," has been sold to Alisher Usmanov, a metals magnate with close ties to the Kremlin.
Usmanov, who is reportedly worth $2.6 billion, has denied allegations that he bought the publishing house at the behest of the authorities. "This is my personal deal, my personal investment," he told the "Kommersant" daily.
Georgian entrepreneur Badri Patarkatsishvili, who purchased the newspaper from billionaire Boris Berezovsky only in February, says there "is no political subtext" behind the sale.
But his assurances have done little to soothe the concerns of "Kommersant" journalists and others concerned about the state of Russian media.
They see the deal -- reportedly worth around $300 million -- as an attempt by the Kremlin to tighten its ... >>full
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