Bastrykin's case. Afterword

It is a pity that important texts sometimes remain unread. For example, a letter from the editor-in-chief of Novaya Gazeta, Dmitry Muratov, to the head of the Investigative Committee, Alexander Bastrykin. In it, the editors demanded three things: an apology for the threats; ensuring the security of Sergei Sokolov; ensuring security for editorial staff performing assignments in the Caucasus. All three requirements were met...

This is probably due to the fact that Novaya Gazeta itself was supposed to a) remove Bastrykin from his post; b) bring him to criminal responsibility. However, the newspaper does not remove from office and does not bring to criminal responsibility. The head of the Investigative Committee admitted everything - including the conversation in the "forest", which he called the "roadside". Now the state - deputies, the prosecutor's office and so on - should deal with this plot. The newspaper spoke - what has been done?

The claims are very reminiscent of the demands for the immediate removal of Putin from power. And he doesn't move away. It turns out that in order for life in the country to change, it is not enough to go to the Kremlin and punch the “cosmonaut” in the face. It turns out that this is a big job, and not only for those few opposition resources that still remain in the media field, but for the entire civil society.

It is difficult to reproach Novaya Gazeta for not fighting arbitrariness, lawlessness and corruption. Above the table where the meetings of the editorial board are held, there are six portraits of the murdered editorial staff. And what, colleagues from the blogosphere, do you want us to hold meetings under seven portraits, eight, nine? Or that the edition, which is systematically prevented from working normally, was finally turned off from the game? There are many faithful soldiers of the regime in power - one of the leaders will leave, there will immediately be another one to replace it. But on the part of civil society, there are not so many fighters - a newspaper, a magazine, several websites, a couple of radio stations. And it's not that hard to get rid of us. That is why we were and remain grateful to those who supported us in a difficult situation that could have ended in anything, to those who increased the effect of our publications, our letter.

Has it ever happened in recent Russian history that a state official of the first rank apologized to the media, and even to the uncompromising opposition, with whom at the very top they consider it “low” even to talk? There are no such precedents. And this was achieved by us, Novaya Gazeta, together with our colleagues who supported us. This very fact is a huge victory for civil society. It turns out that a free press means something in a country that is not free. It turns out that in our irreconcilable social environment, where mutual deafness reigns, one can be heard.

And finally, after all, one quote from Facebook, without comments: “I read Muratov’s criticism. And the heart rejoices. How many brave and desperately principled people we have. If there are at least a few among them who will make such a newspaper as Muratov, and so that their deputies are also taken out by the FBI chiefs into the woods and threatened with death, even under gas, and “for the cause”, and even so that these FBI later publicly apologized to them - that's when freedom in Russia will win.