"Results" / Gusinsky's arrest

Gusinsky's arrest - news feed
(All Itogi publications on this topic are on our microportal )

06/17/2000 01.30 - the operation of the tape is mothballed.

06/16/2000 22.05 INTERFAX - The head of the Media-Most holding, Vladimir Gusinsky, was released on Friday evening on his own recognizance. Interfax was informed about this by the public relations and information center of the Prosecutor General's Office of the Russian Federation.
“The senior investigator of the Prosecutor General’s Office of the Russian Federation considered it possible to satisfy the request of lawyers Pavel Astakhov and Mikhail Burmistrov, who represent the interests of the accused Vladimir Gusinsky, and changed his preventive measure to a softer one - a written undertaking not to leave the place,” the public relations center reported.
The fact that Gusinsky was awarded the Order of Friendship of Peoples in 1994 was taken into account, for which the relevant documents were received, the Prosecutor General's Office reported.
The investigator's decision to change the preventive measure against the accused Gusinsky was executed today, the Prosecutor General's Office emphasized.

06.16.2000 18.15 Leaders of the Media-Most holding believe that everything that happens to the head of the holding, Vladimir Gusinsky, is a “political matter.”
As the head of NTV, Yevgeny Kiselev, said at a press conference at the Interfax central office in Moscow on Friday, “what happened with Gusinsky is a political matter.” According to E. Kiselev, this is “an attack on freedom of speech, an attack on the media.”
He emphasized that he considers the allegations that V. Gusinsky’s arrest is connected only with business and does not affect the media to be unfounded. “Gusinsky’s business is to let people, society, speak out on any issue, appeal to the authorities, express disagreement with this authority,” said E. Kiselev.
He believes that the issue of V. Gusinsky’s release from custody lies not in the legal, but in the political field.
The editor-in-chief of the Ekho Moskvy radio station, part of the Media-Most holding, Alexey Venediktov, who also participated in the press conference, is sure that the authorities have long planned the arrest of V. Gusinsky. “For a year, (authorities) joked with me that Gusinsky would be imprisoned,” he said.
“The authorities have been preparing for this for a long time, and now they are coming into contact with us, offering to meet and talk,” said the editor-in-chief of the Ekho Moskvy radio station. However, “they do not enter into negotiations with people who take hostages, and Gusinsky is a hostage,” noted A. Venediktov.
According to A. Venediktov, government officials will not be able to split the leadership of the Media-Most holding. “We are great friends and we cannot be split by the promise of big salaries in state media structures,” he emphasized.
A. Venediktov also reported that on June 15, V. Gusinsky was supposed to have dinner with French President Jacques Chirac in Versailles. “We were forced to inform Mr. Chirac that Gusinsky could not arrive because this was not provided for by the internal regulations of the Butyrka prison,” said A. Venediktov.

06.16.2000 17.50 General Director of NTV Evgeny Kiselev does not rule out that the Russian authorities may put “financial pressure” on this television company.
“From time to time, various kinds of messages come to us through unofficial channels,” he said on Friday at a press conference at the Interfax central office in Moscow. “Among such “messages”, which we very often evaluate as blackmail,” E. Kiselev continued, “there has been a proposal to change the owner more than once.”
The head of NTV believes that in this case, “the government’s plan is absolutely obvious: to try in one way or another to take control of the holding,” to turn NTV into an “empty shell.”
At the same time, E. Kiselev suggested that an attempt would be made “to put pressure on us through our shareholder - Gazprom,” with the help of which they will try to bankrupt NTV. “I’m afraid that nothing will come of this,” the general director added.
He expressed bewilderment at how the former head of NTV, Oleg Dobrodeev, reacted to the arrest of V. Gusinsky, saying that “what is most shocking” is O. Dobrodeev’s refusal to comment on this event “on the day when Vladimir Alexandrovich ended up in Butyrka.”
For his part, the editor-in-chief of the Itogi magazine, part of Media-Most, Sergei Parkhomenko, told how, at a meeting with him, one of the deputy heads of the presidential administration, Vladislav Surkov, admitted that there are no “legal tools” to remove V. Gusinsky from power, but on "Media-Most" "can be influenced by direct financial pressure."
In this regard, S. Parkhomenko recalled a phrase that, as he believes, “is becoming one of the main principles of the Russian government: “It is impossible to destroy cockroaches, but you can try to make their life unbearable.”

06.16.2000 17.15 According to the website Lenta.ru, on Friday, Moscow Mayor Yuri Luzhkov was summoned to the Investigative Committee of the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs, where he was interrogated as a witness. According to journalists, Luzhkov's interrogation lasted more than two hours.
It is possible that Luzhkov was summoned for questioning in connection with a case brought against media tycoon Vladimir Gusinsky. The agency's sources recalled the proximity of the MOST group to the city government: until recently, many payments by the Moscow government were made through the MOST group, and the Media-Most holding supported the Fatherland movement and the OVR bloc in the State Duma elections.
The press service of the Investigative Committee of the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs neither confirms nor denies this report.
At the same time, the press secretary of the Moscow mayor, Sergei Tsoi, claims that on that day Luzhkov was not at the Investigative Committee, but at the church on Bolshaya Polyanka for the wedding of his niece.

06/16/2000 17.04 According to the radio station "Echo of Moscow", the author and presenter of the program on the ORT television channel, Sergei Dorenko, invited the head of the Media-Most holding, Vladimir Gusinsky, to appear on his air this or next Saturday

06.16.2000 17.02 The heads of the media that are part of the Media-Most holding would like to meet with the first President of the Russian Federation, Boris Yeltsin, to find out his assessment of the situation in connection with the arrest of Vladimir Gusinsky. This was stated on Friday at a press conference at the Interfax central office in Moscow by the editor-in-chief of the Ekho Moskvy radio station, Alexey Venediktov.
“We will ask for a meeting with pensioner Boris Nikolayevich Yeltsin, a man who, introducing Vladimir Putin, said: “With him it will be the same as with me. Under him, freedom of speech will remain, under him, all civil liberties will remain."

06/16/2000 16.54 Henry Reznik, commenting on the accusation of theft by fraud against V. Gusinsky to journalists, said in particular: “If the explanation of the suspicion involved nonsense, then now we are dealing with nonsense squared.” According to him, “the essence of the accusation is that Media-Most itself was created solely for the criminal purpose of causing damage to the state and taking away from it, although it is not known how much money.”
“We did not learn from the resolution what deception or abuse of trust consists of,” said G. Reznik. The lawyer emphasized that “if before this ruling some doubts remained among many - but not me - that perhaps we were talking about a delusion, a mistake, now the situation has fully developed. We are talking about reprisals in full, political violence."
Addressing journalists, G. Reznik said: “I urge you to leave your illusions. The hour of courage has struck. The enraged flock, which now actually wants to crush society, must be stopped.” According to him, this “can only be done by society, only by openness.” He expressed gratitude to journalists for their support. “If now we bend, Gusinsky bends, his defense bends, then in this case the old order will begin to be restored on a somewhat new basis,” G. Reznik emphasized.

06/16/2000 16.30 V. Gusinsky's lawyer told reporters that Gusinsky was officially charged with large-scale fraud and the preventive measure - detention - was left unchanged.

06/16/2000 14.42 INTERFAX - Investigators of the General Prosecutor's Office of the Russian Federation Valery Nikolaev and Yuri Vanyushin arrived on Friday at the Butyrsky detention center (SIZO) in Moscow, as expected, at 14:00 Moscow time.
As the head of the Butyrsky pre-trial detention center, Rafik Ibragimov, told Interfax, they have been “working for half an hour already.” Four lawyers of the head of Media-Most, Vladimir Gusinsky, are also present in the pre-trial detention center.
According to R. Ibragimov, so far the heads of the investigation have not handed over any resolutions to change the preventive measure to the head of the Media-Most holding.
The head of the prison noted that if such a decision is made, it is subject to immediate execution, and the entire procedure for releasing V. Gusinsky from the pre-trial detention center “will take no more than an hour.”

06/16/2000 13.47 State Duma Speaker Gennady Seleznev and Chairman of the Accounts Chamber Sergei Stepashin on Friday commented on the situation in connection with the arrest of the famous businessman Vladimir Gusinsky. They answered questions from journalists after a meeting took place between them in parliament.
S. Stepashin emphasized that even when he headed the Ministry of Internal Affairs, he believed that “arrest as a preventive measure should be used only in extreme cases, when a person is dangerous to others.” S. Stepashin noted that, as he understood, President Vladimir Putin has the same position on this matter. S. Stepashin emphasized that the Prosecutor General's Office should have had compelling reasons to arrest V. Gusinsky.
In turn, G. Seleznev noted that he did not agree on this issue with S. Stepashin, but their points of view “practically coincide.”

06/16/2000 13.21 INTERFAX - President of the Politika Foundation Vyacheslav Nikonov believes that Vladimir Gusinsky was an “extremely unsuccessful figure” in order to start a large-scale fight against corruption with him.
“Unlike many others, Gusinsky has the image of a clean businessman,” the political scientist said on Friday at a press conference in Moscow. At the same time, he added, the situation was aggravated by the fact that “the desire of some politicians at the top to kill the Goose is widely known.”
Finally, the fact that V. Gusinsky’s arrest was carried out “in a distinctly Soviet manner,” according to V. Nikonov, will also do a disservice to the president.
“In this situation,” the political scientist noted, “the Kremlin can no longer count on propaganda support for Gusinsky’s arrest, for example, “throwing the first and second television channels as cover.”
Speaking about the consequences of the “Gusinsky case” for the Russian economy, the political scientist expressed the opinion that now “we must forget about debt restructuring, IMF loans and investment growth,” because “foreign businessmen may well begin to try on Gusinsky’s shoes.”
Regarding the future fate of this businessman, V. Nikonov suggested that, most likely, he would be released on Friday on his own recognizance, and in the future “they will try to put the squeeze on him.”

06/16/2000 12.50 AFI - The Russian-American Chamber of Commerce expresses regret over the arrest of media magnate Vladimir Gusinsky and confirms a change in the plans of the heads of the largest American corporations to visit Russia in connection with this event, chamber president Scott Blacklin said in an interview with the Financial Information Agency on Friday.
He confirmed reports from a number of media outlets that, in connection with the arrest of V. Gusinsky, the previously planned visit to Moscow of the heads of the largest American corporations was canceled.
“Unfortunately, I cannot name them, but we are talking about the eight largest US companies,” said S. Blacklin. At the same time, S. Blacklin emphasized that “the visit of American businessmen to Moscow is not cancelled, it was simply postponed due to the reaction in Washington to the arrest of V. Gusinsky.”
The head of the Russian-American Chamber of Commerce said that the agreement on the visit of corporate heads was reached on the eve of US President Bill Clinton's visit to Moscow and was officially announced during his stay in the Russian capital.
S. Blacklin noted that “American businessmen in Moscow continue to work, despite emerging political concerns.” "We hope for a positive outcome in this case," he said.

06/16/2000 12.48 First deputy head of the Media-Most holding, Igor Malashenko, arrived in Moscow from Berlin and said that he intended to go to Butyrka prison, where the head of Media-Most, Vladimir Gusinsky, was being held. I. Malashenko explained to the journalists who met him that he intends to be on site at the time of V. Gusinsky’s supposed release from custody.
Therefore, the first deputy head of the holding will not be able to take part in the press conference of the heads of the media included in the holding, scheduled for 16:00 in Moscow.
Answering questions about threats to his personal safety, I. Malashenko said that he takes such threats seriously.
At the same time, he did not rule out that they could “plant drugs, weapons and other dangerous objects” in the car he is using. Media-Most lawyer Pavel Astakhov said that he intends to always be close to I. Malashenko in case of need legal protection.

06/16/2000 12.40 INTERFAX-EURASIA - Prosecutor General of the Russian Federation Vladimir Ustinov arrived on Friday afternoon in Sakhalin (Far East).
At the Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk airport, only high-ranking officials of the regional administration, law enforcement agencies and a number of departments were allowed onto the plane. Even the press services of the regional administration and the regional department of internal affairs were not allowed to take part in the meeting of the Russian Prosecutor General.
Meanwhile, as the Interfax-Eurasia agency was informed in the press center of the regional administration, on Saturday morning V. Ustinov will meet with the Governor of Sakhalin Igor Farkhutdinov, and then with employees of the regional prosecutor's office. On the same day, it is planned to visit the Salmo fish hatchery in the Korsakov region.
On Sunday, weather conditions permitting, V. Ustinov and his entourage will fly to the Southern Kuril Islands, where they will visit a border detachment on Kunashir Island and a geothermal station.

06.16.2000 12.22 Lawyer of the head of Media-Most CJSC Vladimir Gusinsky Henry Reznik does not rule out that his client will be released from custody today, Friday, and will be released from Butyrka prison. He announced this to journalists who had been on duty at Butyrka prison for the third day.
According to the lawyer, his opinion is based on the fact that “the Prosecutor General’s Office needs to save the remains of its face.”
G. Reznik said that he will stay with V. Gusinsky until the arrival of representatives of the Prosecutor General's Office, who intend to bring charges against his client today. According to the lawyer, he “is waiting with great interest to see how this charge will be formulated, since so far it is difficult to understand from the prosecutor’s statements what Gusinsky is actually accused of.”
As already reported, representatives of the Prosecutor General's Office are scheduled to arrive at Butyrka prison to bring charges against V. Gusinsky at 14:00 Moscow time.

06/16/2000 10.24 In an interview with journalists at the gates of Butyrskaya prison, V. Gusinsky’s lawyer P. Astakhov suggested that representatives of the prosecutor’s office would take steps on Friday to “expel Gusinsky from prison.” P. Astakhov believes that after yesterday’s statement by Russian President Vladimir Putin that he considers it inappropriate to keep V. Gusinsky in custody, “the prosecutor’s office is simply obliged to obey this opinion.”
According to the lawyer, representatives of the prosecutor's office should arrive at Butyrskaya prison to bring charges against V. Gusinsky at 14:00 on Friday.
P. Astakhov stated that they could offer V. Gusinsky both release under an amnesty and on his own recognizance. In any case, the lawyer believes, representatives of the prosecutor's office will ensure that V. Gusinsky is released, and thus the president's wishes are fulfilled.

06/16/2000 10.20 As stated by the head of the public relations center of the GUIN
Ministry of Justice of the Russian Federation Gennady Lisenkov: “Vladimir Gusinsky spent his third night in the Butyrsky detention center calmly, woke up, had breakfast and is waiting for his guests.”
According to G. Lisenkov, V. Gusinsky was very pleased with the attitude of the staff of the pre-trial detention center towards him personally, and also thanked the head of the pre-trial detention center, Rafik Ibragimov, for those neighbors with whom he had to spend several days together.
V. Gusinsky's lawyers lined up at the entrance to the Butyrskaya prison from 6:00 in order to be with their client by 2:00 pm and be present at the presentation of formal charges against him.

06/15/2000 20.02 Chairman of the All-Russian State Television and Radio Company Oleg Dobrodeev told reporters on Thursday that he has a negative attitude towards the arrest of the head of the Media-Most holding, Vladimir Gusinsky. Answering questions from journalists, O. Dobrodeev expressed the opinion that “Gusinsky should not have been arrested.”

06/15/2000 19.32 Russian President Vladimir Putin believes that the arrest of the head of Media-Most, Vladimir Gusinsky, was an unnecessary preventive measure.
“I believe that Gusinsky should not have been taken into custody,” the Russian President said on Thursday in Berlin, answering questions from representatives of the German business and political elite.
According to the head of state, “it was possible to work with Gusinsky” without taking him into custody, “but by taking, for example, a written undertaking not to leave.”
At the same time, Putin again emphasized that he “cannot ban anything” from the Prosecutor General’s Office, since it is an independent body.
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06/15/2000 19.30 INTERFAX - The head of the Butyrsky pre-trial detention center (SIZO), Colonel Rafik Ibragimov, personally decided to place the arrested head of Media-Most CJSC Vladimir Gusinsky in a small cell.
He told reporters about this on Friday, expressing regret that he does not have the opportunity “to create any special conditions of detention not only for Gusinsky, but also for others.”
R. Ibragimov also noted that an “emergency situation” had been created for him, as a result of which “some employees had to be called from home” to find cellmates for V. Gusinsky.
“I was primarily interested in the moral situation in the room where he would be placed,” said the head of the pre-trial detention center.
According to him, V. Gusinsky is satisfied with this situation, the conditions of detention and the attitude towards him on the part of the detention center workers. There were no complaints from him about his health, the head of the pre-trial detention center said.
R. Ibragimov answered affirmatively to the question whether the head of the Media-Most holding is given walks, noting that on Thursday V. Gusinsky refused the offer to “run” because “now he works a lot with his lawyers.” The head of the pre-trial detention center also said that all its inmates are given a daily walk for an hour in the company of their cellmates.
He also said that V. Gusinsky had already received a transfer of 29 items of food and essential items, including a toothbrush, underwear, an electric razor, etc.
According to R. Ibragimov, V. Gusinsky expressed a desire to receive fresh newspapers and magazines. He, in particular, named the newspaper Segodnya, the magazines Itogi and 7 Days, which will be delivered on Friday at 9:00, said the head of the Butyrsky pre-trial detention center.

06/15/2000 17.52 State Duma deputy and chairman of the Republican Party of Russia Vladimir Lysenko announced the need to conduct a special Duma investigation into the reasons for the arrest of the head of the Media-Most holding, Vladimir Gusinsky. “I demand a special Duma investigation into the real reasons for choosing such a measure of Gusinsky’s isolation as arrest,” the party leader said in a statement released on Thursday.
According to V. Lysenko, with the arrest of V. Gusinsky, “a precedent has been created that looks like reprisals by the authorities against political opponents.”
V. Lysenko expressed bewilderment due to the fact that this precedent was created “by the Prosecutor General’s Office itself, which should stand guard over the law.”

06/15/2000 17.15 INTERFAX - The head of Gazprom, Rem Vyakhirev, said that he would not comment on the situation surrounding the relationship between Gazprom and the Media-MOST holding.
In a conversation with an Interfax correspondent in Berlin on Thursday, R. Vyakhirev emphasized that he does not know all the details and does not intend to discuss this topic now.
“I don’t understand the issue,” said R. Vyakhirev, answering the question about Gazprom’s repayment of the Media-MOST loan in the amount of $200 million. “There are specialists who deal with these problems,” he said.
He also said that he had not yet had a conversation with Russian President V. Putin on this topic. “But at home, I think we’ll talk,” said R. Vyakhirev.

06/15/2000 15.45 The Prosecutor General's Office issued another statement in connection with the reaction of Russian and world media to the arrest of the head of Media-Most, Vladimir Gusinsky.
A statement from the Center for Information and Public Relations of the Prosecutor General's Office says: "Once again, the Prosecutor General's Office has to face a situation where the media and well-known public figures are trying to give a political character and even international significance to an ordinary criminal case. However, the current information onslaught exceeds all acceptable limits." .
As stated in the statement, “international and foreign organizations, using information that is far from objective, come up with demands and proposals that do not fit into the norms of law, both Russian and international.”
The Prosecutor General’s Office believes that “they are trying to drag senior state officials, government and administrative bodies into a pointless discussion and oppose them to the law.”
“The prosecutor’s office has been and remains outside of politics,” the statement emphasizes.

06/15/2000 15.45 Sergei Lisovsky made a statement emphasizing: “It is obvious that the arrest of Vladimir Gusinsky is a purely political action. There is no criminal or financial background here. Large capital today represents a powerful opposition to the authorities. That is why it becomes possible similar precedents for the implementation of repressive measures, elevated to the level of state policy." Full text of the statement .

06/15/2000 15.32 INTERFAX - The leader of the Union of Right Forces faction in the State Duma, Boris Nemtsov, believes that the position taken by President Vladimir Putin in connection with the arrest of the famous businessman Vladimir Gusinsky, “first of all, undermines the authority of the head of state himself.”
“It’s sad that the president still hasn’t realized that the level of trust in him is decreasing every day because of all these cases,” Boris Nemtsov said in an interview with reporters on Thursday.
He emphasized that although the state media are trying in every possible way to present the case in such a way that the president knew nothing about the impending arrest of V. Gusinsky, “our people are smart and it is impossible to carry it out.” “Even Yeltsin, when he was in the Central Clinical Hospital, knew about such issues. And Putin, thank God, is healthy,” the deputy emphasized.
He ironically commented on V. Putin’s words that while he was in Madrid, he was unable to contact Prosecutor General Vladimir Ustinov to obtain complete information about the V. Gusinsky case. B. Nemtsov noted that the Union of Right Forces is ready to present the president with a mobile telephone station and the same one for the prosecutor general. “This is not a bribe, but a friendly gift,” B. Nemtsov noted with irony.
Answering the question why, in his opinion, the Prosecutor General has not yet publicly expressed his position on this issue, B. Nemtsov said: “It seems that he was not the one who made the decision.”

06/15/2000 14.40 Influential Jewish organizations addressed Russian President Vladimir Putin with an appeal expressing concern about the arrest of media tycoon Vladimir Gusinsky. The text of the appeal was distributed on Thursday in Moscow.
“On behalf of the organized American Jewish community and our fraternal communities around the world, we want to express our deep concern about the arrest in Moscow of the leader of the Russian Jewish community, V. Gusinsky,” the document says.
Leaders of Jewish organizations (President of the World Jewish Congress (WJC) Edgar Bronfman, Secretary General of the WJC Israel Singer, Denis Bram - Chairman of the National Conference on Soviet Jewry, Ronald Lauder - Chairman of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations, etc.) express support for V. Gusinsky, emphasizing his "leadership role" as president of the Russian Jewish Congress (RJC). “The Jewish community has responded with concern to recent attacks on Mr. Gusinsky and the RJC by state and other media,” the document’s authors state.
“At this important time in Russian history, when fundamental civil liberties are systematically under threat, your government’s response will have serious consequences for civil society and the rule of law in the Russian Federation,” the appeal says. The authors insist that “legal methods and international legal standards be applied to Mr. Gusinsky.”

06/15/2000 13.54 The head of the Media-Most holding, Vladimir Gusinsky, gave a handwritten statement to media representatives on Thursday through his lawyer Henry Reznik.
The statement says that for the third day “no one can explain the essence of the claims that the authorities have against me.”
“This is a political intrigue organized by high-ranking government officials, for whom freedom of speech represents a danger and an obstacle to the implementation of their attempts to build, in their understanding, a “new Russia”, but in fact a return back to the totalitarian past,” writes the head of Media-MOST. .

06/15/2000 13.52 INTERFAX - The State Duma Committee on Affairs of Public Associations and Religious Organizations expressed concern about the arrest of “a prominent public figure, leader of the international movement and president of the Russian Jewish Congress,” head of the Media Most holding, Vladimir Gusinsky.
A statement signed by the chairman of this committee, Viktor Zorkaltsev (fraction of the Communist Party of the Russian Federation) and transmitted to Interfax on Thursday, emphasizes that “the methods used to detain V. Gusinsky caused concern in various sectors of society and jeopardized the process of stabilization of public relations in country."
What is especially alarming, the statement emphasizes, is that an attempt is being made to accuse the President of the Russian Federation and his administration of involvement in the arrest of V. Gusinsky. “These accusations undermine the international position of our state at a time when the President of the Russian Federation, while abroad, is conducting complex negotiations aimed at strengthening Russia’s position in the international community,” the statement emphasizes.
On behalf of the committee, V. Zorkaltsev appealed to the Prosecutor General's Office with an urgent request to “give an explanation to society regarding the fact and circumstances of the detention of V. Gusinsky, in order to thereby relieve social tension.”
“We hope that the Prosecutor General’s Office, using its constitutional powers, will resolve the conflict situation without compromising the legal order and citizens’ faith in the fairness of the law,” says the statement signed by V. Zorkaltsev.

06/15/2000 13.45 INTERFAX - The leader of the Yabloko party, Grigory Yavlinsky, is convinced that the arrest of the head of the Media-MOST holding, Vladimir Gusinsky, is “an action to intimidate society and the media.”
Speaking live on the Ekho Moskvy radio station on Thursday, G. Yavlinsky emphasized that today people for whom the fate of the country is important must unite and “start a tough dialogue with the authorities.” “This association must become a real democratic opposition and defend the Constitution of the country and its laws,” he noted.
In his opinion, a group of influential businessmen who signed an appeal in defense of V. Gusinsky the day before “looks at the story with Gusinsky as if in a mirror.”
The Yabloko leader also considers it pointless to discuss any investments in the current situation in the country. “None of the investors can feel calm when independent media are subjected to such actions. After the arrest of Gusinsky, as well as after independent media are subjected to political persecution, such a country is not a partner either in business or in the military sphere,” believes G. Yavlinsky.
He emphasized that he respects the personality of V. Gusinsky and believes that he brought real benefits to Russia through his activities. “If his arrest means a fight against the oligarchs, then Gusinsky is not the first oligarch who stands in this row,” says G. Yavlinsky.

06/15/2000 13.39 INTERFAX - Lawyers for Vladimir Gusinsky intend to appeal the decision on his arrest in the Tverskoy Intermunicipal Court of Moscow.
As lawyer Henry Reznik told reporters on Thursday after a meeting with V. Gusinsky, the case will be considered on June 20 at 11:00 Moscow time.
The lawyer said that V. Gusinsky is subject to the State Duma resolution on an amnesty dedicated to the 55th anniversary of the victory in the Great Patriotic War, since he was awarded the Order of Friendship.
G. Reznik emphasized that the amnesty resolution came into force on May 30 and at the time of his arrest, V. Gusinsky “in accordance with paragraph “b” of Article 2 of the State Duma resolution was subject to amnesty.”
“The particular cynicism of the situation is that the prosecutor’s office had no grounds at all to continue the investigation and choose such a preventive measure,” said G. Reznik.
According to him, “the first thing the investigators should have done by law after Gusinsky’s arrest was to rush in and ask about the attitude of the head of Media-Most to the possibility of applying an amnesty.”
The lawyer explained that the law provides for taking into account the opinion of the person in custody when applying an amnesty.
By the actions of the prosecutor's office, "you can judge how the rule of law is observed," added G. Reznik.
The lawyer offered the President of the Russian Federation two options for further action. The first is to “immediately submit to the Federation Council a proposal to remove Vladimir Ustinov from the post of Prosecutor General.” The second is to “think about it and liquidate the prosecutor’s office in the form in which it exists.”
After leaving the Butyrsky pre-trial detention center, G. Reznik said that he did not yet see the possibility of V. Gusinsky’s release. The lawyer believes that “this possibility can only be considered theoretically.”
According to G. Reznik, during his stay in Butyrka he was not able to talk with investigators who were not in the office.

06/15/2000 13.03 INTERFAX-EURASIA - President of Tatarstan Mintimer Shaimiev does not connect the arrest of the head of the Media-Most holding Vladimir Gusinsky with the beginning of the attack on the free press.
“I don’t want to think so,” M. Shaimiev told reporters in Kazan on Thursday.
The President of Tatarstan is confident that society will not allow restrictions on freedom of speech today. “It is already different. Society will not allow anyone to usurp freedom of speech,” M. Shaimiev emphasized.
In his opinion, if the arrest of V. Gusinsky was carried out with the consent of the authorities, then “this is so unfortunate that you can’t imagine anything worse.” “Even now I continue to advocate for the strengthening of state power in the country, but it is impossible to act using such methods,” M. Shaimiev noted.
Against the backdrop of what happened, it is symptomatic that the “right” and “left” in the State Duma are beginning to unite in their assessment. “Leaders of deputy groups are beginning to think about what is happening in society,” says the head of Tatarstan.
M. Shaimiev also stated that if the arrest concerns facts related not to the press, but to V. Gusinsky’s business, then “then it is not him alone that needs to be dealt with.”

06/15/2000 12.47 INTERFAX - In a letter addressed to Russian President Vladimir Putin, a copy of which was received by Interfax on Thursday, a group of Russian cultural figures, politicians and scientists express the hope that the arrest of the head of the Media-Most holding Vladimir Gusinsky will be given " unwavering assessment" from the head of state.
“We very much hope that there will be no suppression of freedom of information in the country, nor, as an inevitable consequence of such suppression, political processes,” the letter says.
Its authors emphasize that they were forced to turn to the President of the Russian Federation by “concerns related to the actions of the prosecutor’s office and intelligence services against the Media-Most group.” “After the arrest and imprisonment of the group’s leader, V. Gusinsky, in Butyrka prison, this concern turned into deep anxiety,” - it is said in the appeal.
Its authors remind the head of state that at one time, “under the guise” of the name of the first President of the Russian Federation, Boris Yeltsin, the group was persecuted by “an odious group of politicians and security guards who had a very vague idea of ​​democracy.” “But today we have a bitter feeling that history is repeating itself again, that they are trying to lure you down the dangerous path of suppressing freedom of information, and, perhaps, making you a hostage to someone else’s intrigue,” the letter says.
According to those who signed the appeal, the arrest of V. Gusinsky after searches in the premises of Media-Most and the decision of the Krasnopresnensky court, which declared the actions of the prosecutor’s office illegal, looks like “a vindictive continuation of an illegal action, the initiators of which are hiding in your shadow.”


06/15/2000 11.44 INTERFAX - The consideration of the complaint that the defense of the head of Media-Most CJSC Vladimir Gusinsky filed with the Tverskoy Intermunicipal Court of Moscow against the actions of investigators from the prosecutor's office is scheduled for 11:00 Moscow time on Tuesday.
Lawyer Henry Reznik told reporters about this on Thursday before entering the Butyrsky pre-trial detention center. According to him, “a difficult conversation lies ahead.”
The lawyer added that the hearings could be canceled if the prosecutor's office reverses the decision to arrest V. Gusinsky.
According to G. Reznik, at the moment the interrogations of V. Gusinsky are “pointless.”
The lawyer said that V. Gusinsky is holding himself in the cell of the pre-trial detention center “very courageously, he is a courageous person. At the same time, he has a heart condition, is being monitored in the cardiology center, but we will not talk about my client’s illness.”
“Today I will discuss the general situation with my client and try to find the points we need in the “essay” about the client’s suspicion of fraud,” the lawyer said. He described the investigators' suspicions regarding his client as "nonsense."

06/15/2000 09.22 INTERFAX - US President Bill Clinton expressed concern about press freedom in Russia due to the arrest of media tycoon Vladimir Gusinsky in Moscow.
“I made a strong statement about this (freedom of the press) when I was in Moscow, and I will continue to do so,” the president told reporters at the White House.
“I don’t know,” he continued, “what the facts are, and I don’t think we necessarily need to know all the facts. But I don’t think people should be arrested just for what they say in their role as members of the press. I I don't think so, and I think the United States should take a strong stance on this."
Clinton also said: "I don't believe that democracy can be weakened by dissenting voices, even if they say things that are wrong and sometimes even false. I believe that in the end, if the debate is open, people will usually do the right things." conclusions. This is why our democracy still exists after more than 200 years."
And State Department spokesman Richard Boucher warned that "great harm will be done to Russia's international position if the government engages in actions aimed at intimidating independent media and those with whose voices it disagrees."

06/14/2000 21.50 The leaders of four State Duma deputy associations made a joint statement on Wednesday, in which they expressed the need for the immediate release of Vladimir Gusinsky. More details

06/14/2000 21.45 A campaign for the release of Vladimir Gusinsky, arrested in Moscow, begins in Israel. More details

06/14/2000 21.44 Claims against Vladimir Gusinsky are made not as a representative of the media, but as a representative of business. More details

06/14/2000 20.30 INTERFAX. - The Union of Journalists of Moldova intends to appeal to Russian President Vladimir Putin with a request to facilitate the release from custody of the head of the Media-Most holding, Vladimir Gusinsky. This was stated on Wednesday in Chisinau by the chairman of the SJM, Valeriu Saharneanu.
He noted that the Union of Journalists of Moldova "is preparing an official appeal in connection with the Gusinsky case and will hand over this document to Vladimir Putin during his visit to Chisinau on Friday evening."
The director of the Russian Center for Journalism in Extreme Situations, Oleg Panfilov, welcomed the act of solidarity on the part of Moldovan journalists. He stated that “the Russian authorities want to take revenge on V. Gusinsky for his independence in this way.”

06/14/2000 20.23 INTERFAX - The head of the Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs, Arkady Volsky, called the arrest of the head of the Media-Most holding, Vladimir Gusinsky, “the purest provocation against the president.”
This, A. Volsky said on Wednesday in an interview with the Ekho Moskvy radio station, is supported by the fact that the arrest of the head of Media-Most was preceded by “too many coincidences: Gusinsky’s arrival in Russia on Independence Day; arrest and summons to the prosecutor’s office the next day; the president's departure in the morning of the same day for Spain and, in essence, the disruption of the Spanish visit," since Putin, "instead of answering questions about missile defense, about missile defense, is forced to answer questions all day about Gusinsky, about "Media" Most", about freedom of speech, press, and law."
As for the awareness of the head of state about the actions of law enforcement agencies in relation to V. Gusinsky, then, in the opinion of A. Volsky, “he (the president) could well not have known about a decision of this level.” “I believe that he did not know,” said the leader of the RSPP.
According to A. Volsky, “the campaign was prepared for a long time,” and this was facilitated by a number of media and individual events, for example, the “change of the chief rabbi of Russia” Adolf Shaevich to the leader of the Lubavitcher Hasidim Berel Lazar. He is convinced that everything “was done so that the peak would occur when the president left” the country.
Expressing the opinion that the current foreign visits of the president in connection with the arrest of V. Gusinsky were actually disrupted, A. Volsky suggested that V. Putin “take a big, big club” and disperse the “unscrupulous group of people” that provoked the disruption of the foreign tour.

06/14/2000 20.16 INTERFAX - First Deputy Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Media-Most holding, Igor Malashenko, who is now in Madrid, said that he firmly intends to return to Russia in the coming days.
I. Malashenko said that from Madrid he plans to go to Berlin to hold a press conference there on the situation around the Media-Most holding and its leader Vladimir Gusinsky. From Berlin I. Malashenko intends to return to Russia.
“I will not be a defector,” although after the latest events surrounding the holding’s management, “I allow any provocations,” I. Malashenko said in an interview with NTV television on Wednesday evening.
Answering the question, he confirmed that he had information that he could be detained when crossing the Russian border. “I was informed about this,” stated the first deputy head of the Media-Most holding, without however indicating the sources of information.
I. Malashenko was skeptical about rumors that external management could be introduced in the holding and that the famous Western TV tycoon Ted Turner could be involved in this “to calm public opinion.”
“This will not reassure the world community, and I very much doubt that such a plan will be feasible,” said the first deputy head of the Media-Most holding.

06/14/2000 19.42 INTERFAX-ANI - OJSC Gazprom has nothing to do with the criminal case initiated by the prosecutor's office, in which the head of the Media-Most holding, Vladimir Gusinsky, was arrested, according to a message released on Wednesday by the gas concern's press service.
It emphasizes that the company is “concerned about the new problems that Mr. Gusinsky has had with the Prosecutor General’s Office in recent days.”
The press release notes that “today Media-Most is experiencing financial difficulties, largely due to the state of the country and the previously formed economic policy.”
The message states that Gazprom OJSC acted and is acting as a guarantor for some of the Media-Most loans and is the owner of a large block of shares in the holding and is forced to repay the holding's debt on those loans for which it acted as a guarantor.
“The management of OAO Gazprom hopes,” the message emphasizes, “
that the detention of V. Gusinsky by the prosecutor's office will not affect the further course of negotiations to resolve the financial obligations of the Media-Most holding to us. At the same time, we do not have any claims against Mr. Gusinsky."
“As shareholders of the holding, we remain interested in the stability and financial well-being of the Media-Most holding as a whole,” the press notes.
service.

06/14/2000 19.03 INTERFAX - Deputy Speaker of the State Duma Irina Khakamada and the leader of the parliamentary faction "Union of Right Forces" Boris Nemtsov addressed the President of the Russian Federation on Wednesday with an "urgent request to consider the possibility of changing the preventive measure against citizen V.A. Gusinsky."
The authors of the statement, the text of which is available to Interfax, “are ready to accept personal responsibility for guaranteeing V. Gusinsky’s compliance with all the conditions and rules” stipulated by the undertaking not to leave, under which I. Khakamada and B. Nemtsov are asking for the release of the head of the Media holding Bridge".
The parliamentarians emphasize that “over the past 10 years they have had the opportunity to be personally acquainted with the above-mentioned citizen Gusinsky.”
The experience of this communication allows them to assume that “in the current circumstances, the preventive measure applied in the form of arrest against V. Gusinsky cannot be considered as sufficiently justified,” the statement says.

06/14/2000 18.40 A group of well-known entrepreneurs condemned the detention of V. Gusinsky. They believe that the arrest of V. Gusinsky looks like reprisal by the authorities against a political opponent, and are ready to act as guarantors for V. Gusinsky. Full text of the statement .

06/14/2000 18.34 INTERFAX - Investigators in the case of media tycoon Vladimir Gusinsky are carrying out a political order.
His lawyer Henry Reznik announced this to reporters in Moscow on Wednesday evening after visiting the Butyrka detention center No. 2.
According to the lawyer, the decision to arrest V. Gusinsky was made “outside the walls of the prosecutor’s office.” “This was an indication from the high heavens: Gusinsky must be isolated,” he said.
“I can say with all sincerity: we have formed a police regime at one of the levels of law enforcement agencies. The Gusinsky case allows us to draw this conclusion. If we do not realize this, we will face the restoration of the police regime,” said G. Reznik.
According to the lawyer, in this situation the president should demand “an explanation from the newly appointed prosecutor, or simply remove him from office, or simply liquidate the prosecutor’s office.”
G. Reznik noted that “there are many people involved who would like to deal with Gusinsky, they are a gang in which the laws of a pack of thieves apply.”
“They fiercely hate everything that does not coincide with their interests,” G. Reznik emphasized. He believes that the matter “is not about Gusinsky, he is not the main target.”
“The target is society. The authorities want to resolve all issues using administrative methods. This is a colossal danger,” the lawyer believes.

06/14/2000 18.21 In connection with the arrest of V. Gusinsky, the Interregional social movement in defense of human rights “Consolidation” expressed deep disappointment in the order establishing in the country. Full text of the statement .

06/14/2000 09/18 INTERFAX - The head of the Department for Investigation of Particularly Important Cases of the Prosecutor General's Office of the Russian Federation, Vladimir Lyseiko, said that charges against the head of the Media-Most holding, Vladimir Gusinsky, who was arrested on June 13, will be brought within the period prescribed by law, that is, within ten days from the date of detention.
As V. Lyseiko stated in an interview with the RTR television company, the case in which V. Gusinsky was arrested has been under investigation for about two years.
According to V. Lyseiko, V. Gusinsky was previously interrogated in this case, so it is not unexpected for the head of Media-Most.

06/14/2000 17.43 INTERFAX - Chairman of the Board of RAO UES-Russia Anatoly Chubais believes that the result of the arrest of the head of the Media-Most holding Vladimir Gusinsky was “an undermining of trust in the authorities (of Russia - IF), both within the country and abroad ".
Speaking on Wednesday at a press conference at the central office of the Interfax agency in Moscow, he emphasized that the “absolute inadequacy of the decision taken” was visible.
Commenting on an open letter to the Prosecutor General of the Russian Federation from a number of leading Russian businessmen, including the head of RAO UES-Russia, A. Chubais noted that “we do not challenge the right of the authorities and law enforcement agencies to act in accordance with legal powers within the framework of the current legislation.” Moreover, according to him, “this right cannot be limited by anyone.”
“Those who made these decisions should be dismissed from their positions,” said A. Chubais. “The government’s reaction must be extremely tough and absolutely unambiguous,” he is convinced.
“If such actions are taken against Gusinsky, a person known throughout the country, then you can imagine what a signal this is for thousands of ordinary, less well-known entrepreneurs who cannot defend themselves,” said the head of RAO.

06/14/2000 16.58 As soon as the vice-president of the Media-Most holding, Igor Malashenko, crosses the Russian border, he will be arrested by the border service, the Prosecutor General's Office said, according to the NTV channel. More details

06/14/2000 16.54. INTERFAX - The leader of the Fatherland - All Russia faction in the State Duma, Yevgeny Primakov, is outraged by the way Russian law enforcement agencies behaved during the arrest of the head of the Media-Most holding, Vladimir Gusinsky.
E. Primakov has no doubt that the “fight of the prosecutor’s office against anti-legal phenomena” must be carried out “on a legal basis” - “this is a subject not subject to discussion.”
“But if this happens in such forms as happened with V. Gusinsky, it outraged me wildly, because they clearly wanted to shock society somehow, to intimidate something,” the former Russian prime minister emphasized in an interview with the NTV television company.
“Grab a person and drag him to Butyrka, you know. How is this possible?” asked E. Primakov.
As the NTV television company reported, in Madrid, on the initiative of E. Primakov, a meeting took place with Russian President Vladimir Putin and the issue of arresting the head of the Media-Most holding in Moscow was discussed.
When asked whether it was discussed at the meeting with V. Putin who made the decision to arrest V. Gusinsky, E. Primakov said that the president “didn’t say anything about this.” “I myself would not want to speculate. But in such cases they usually ask: who benefits from this,” added the faction leader.

06/14/2000 16.30 The Council of Social Organizations of the Chechen Diaspora in Moscow expressed its solidarity with Media-Most and hope for the speedy release of V. Gusinsky. Full text of the statement .

06/14/2000 16.25 The Chairman of the Helsinki Commission for Security and Cooperation in Europe condemns the arrest of a Russian media tycoon . Full text of the statement .