Published on 20 December 2004
Journalist Yuri Bagrov was fined about 400 euros for forgery on 17 December by the municipal court of Leninski, in Vladikavkaz (the capital of North Ossetia), which refused to accept the validity of the Russian passport he obtained in 2003 as a replacement for his old Soviet passport. Stripped of his ID papers and, as a result, his Russian citizenship, he now risks expulsion from Russia.
A correspondent for Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty and former Associated Press correspondent, Bagrov said he thought the conviction was directly linked to his work. He has reported on the conditions of Chechen refugees, smuggling in the Caucasus and kidnapping in Ingushetia. He said he would appeal to the North Ossetia supreme court.
http://en.rsf.org/belarus-russian-journalist-faces-expulsion-20-12-2004,11585.html
