Chef ura.ru is suspected of extortion

In relation to the chief editor of the news agency URA.RU Aksana Panova, a criminal case of extortion has been instituted. This was reported to "Interfax" in the Main Investigation Department of the Main Directorate of the Ministry of Internal Affairs in the Sverdlovsk region. The interlocutor of the agency specified that the case was initiated under Part 3 of Art. 263 of the Criminal Code, but did not report details.

Publicpost contacted Panova and found out that she knew nothing about it.

Aksana Panova, chief editor URA.RU:

“I do not know anything about this criminal case. The information that the media spread has come through the drain tank of the Main Directorate of the Ministry of Internal Affairs in the Sverdlovsk region, they confirm it. But I myself know exactly as much as you know.

We are ready for this and other criminal cases. Now, in the process of excitement, there is a case of extremism, a fraud case, something else ... How many things are on the way, I can’t say-how much fantasy is enough.

The reason for all the attacks opened yesterday and everything is explained very simply. Yesterday, our media deprived of accreditation for work in state authorities in the Sverdlovsk region. This was done by order of the governor of the region. So everything is obvious here: the authorities are not satisfied with our independent position. Therefore, she collects anything ... The case of extortion ... about what extortion? It would be very interesting for me to look into the eyes of people from whom I allegedly extorted something.

The most dangerous in this situation is that our authorities are very cowardly, small and vile, it is not known what can still be expected from them. All that happens is complete chaos. If only because the information in the Internet appears earlier than mine, supposedly defendant of this case. It is clear that all this is the PR-collection of the campaign in our order. But we can handle it.

According to some media , the leaders of a number of commercial structures wrote statements to Panov. During the interrogations, they allegedly reported that Panova demanded money from them for non -publication of data that compromise them.

The attacks on URA.RU began back in September, when searches were held in the editorial office of the news agency and in the apartments of some employees. The Main Directorate of the Ministry of Internal Affairs in the Sverdlovsk region explained that they were carried out as part of an investigation of the criminal case of theft: allegedly, more than ten million rubles disappeared from the agency’s accounts. On September 27, accountant Natalya Popova was detained , despite Panova as the owner of the agency, officially stated that there were no embezzlement. Several dozens of guarantors, including deputies of the State Duma and the Legislative Assembly of the Sverdlovsk Region, well -known journalists, human rights activists and public figures, were in defense of Popova. On October 1, Popov was released without bringing her any charges.

On October 23, URA.RU was deprived of accreditation to work in the authorities of the Sverdlovsk region: the regional government and the legislative assembly of the region. According to the deputy chief editor of the news agency Mikhail Vyugin, the regional order was given by the governor of the region Yevgeny Kuyvashev. "There are no documents that we were deprived of accreditation. One of the deputies tried to write out a temporary pass to me, but the Bureau of Prochskov said that it was impossible to write out the name of Vyugin. For no explanation of the reasons," he said.

The editors made a statement that it perceives what happened as the obstruction of the journalistic activity of the team. "Accreditation in the buildings of the government and parliament of the region is declarative, issued for a year for all media, is issued by the head of the government apparatus. The accreditation badges of the agency was not seized, the regional government and the legislative assembly were never accused of violating any rules or accreditation norms, did not file claims to the court and did not try to challenge the right URA.RU work, ”the statement said.

“The pressure on the agency is associated with the editorial position of the publication,” the journalists are sure , “with the close attention that we pay the activities of law enforcement agencies and governor Yevgeny Kuyvashev.” According to employees, Panova requires resignation from the posts of the director and editor -in -chief of the agency.