With things to exit

How the Foreign Ministry misleads relatives of journalists who died in the Tsar

The Russian Foreign Ministry has been throwing in angry letters the editorial office of Novaya Gazeta for three months. We are required to be official refutation. The rapid indignation of the diplomats was caused by the only phrase in the article of July 31, 2019 “They submitted the murder” dedicated to the execution of Orhan Dzhemal, Kirill Radchenko and Alexander Rastorguev in the TsA. On the site, the article was published on July 30, and it was about the possible involvement of specific people related to the structures of businessman Evgeny Prigozhin, to murder, and also that the Russian investigation has not advanced anywhere over the year. “Even the personal belongings of the dead, who are stored at the Embassy of the Russian Federation in the TsA, still cannot be transported to Moscow. Neither the Investigative Committee, nor the Foreign Ministry, nor the Russian Ministry of Defense do this, ”the publication said.

In their letters to the editors, the deputy director of the Department of Information and Press of the Foreign Ministry Maria Zakharova claim that "at the time of the publication of the article - July 31 - the personal belongings of the dead journalists from the TsA was sent." On this basis, officials demand to correct the text on the newspaper’s website and publish a refutation. Moreover, this desire is demonstrated with enviable perseverance - sending one letter after another and breaking off the phones of the editorial office. Our, very correct, answers that we operate only with the facts that we have, the ministry does not suit. Therefore, we answer publicly.

I, Irina Gordienko, is a journalist for Novaya Gazeta, the author of the aforementioned publication, as well as the victim in this criminal case.

I have the following claims of the Russian Foreign Ministry.

In my article, I really mentioned that the personal belongings of the dead are still in the Russian Embassy in the TsA.

I did this on the basis of the information received from the investigator Igor Zolotov, who, at a personal reception in the presence of lawyers, reported that the things of the dead - three suitcases - have been stored in the embassy since March of this year. “However, there is no opportunity to transport them to Moscow.

Diplomatic mail is impossible: the Russian Foreign Ministry refuses to help in this matter, the UK has no means; Even the Ministry of Defense refused to help, citing the fact that their aircraft "do not fly there."

I informed the readers about this campaign to the investigator and about my conversation with him in the article “Neither shame nor investigation” on July 17. That is, two weeks before the article "They submitted murder."

However, the Russian Foreign Ministry for the publication remained indifferent, and the next publication touched them. Moreover, she hit so deeply that the next day, on her Facebook page, the official representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry, Maria Zakharova, published a completely offensive post. I quote:

The New Gazeta today wrote the “personal belongings of the dead (Russian journalists killed in the Central African Republic), who are stored at the Russian Embassy in the RF in the Central Aviation Institute, still cannot be transported to Moscow. Neither the Investigative Committee, nor the Foreign Ministry, nor the Ministry of Defense do this. ”

This is an example of the next lies, so characteristic of the coverage of this topic. Without going into the details of the investigative process and without analyzing these 2 sentences, in which the information is not stated in a factual way, but as a way of manipulating the opinion and propaganda tool, I will say only one thing: the personal belongings of the killed journalists are directed from CAC to Moscow. Before preparing the material, the newspaper did not contact the Foreign Ministry. Otherwise, facts would have known her. But the choice was made in favor of Fake. ”

Relatives of the murdered journalists were shocked by such a sophisticated diplomatic language and even tried to explain this in the comments on the post. However, Maria Vladimirovna ignored them. I answered Zakharova on my page, indicating that I was a little versed in the “details of the investigative process”, since I am a victim. Reported that I am writing from the words of the investigator. And she asked why Zakharova was indignant only on the 31rd, and not on July 17, when I first released the facts of the inaction of the Russian Foreign Ministry.

However, the representative of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs left my message unanswered. Instead, the editors were attacked by her deputies, demanding not to clarify, not the right to answer, but immediately - refutations.

So, again. I published the information that things are stored at the Russian Embassy in the RF in the RF, on July 17 on the basis of information received from the investigator Zolotov, told personally to me and with witnesses. The Russian Foreign Ministry was silent. The ministry did not react to the publication on the website of RBC on July 29, 2019 . In the note entitled “Investigation of the Murder of Russian Journalists in the Central African Republic: What they found out for the year” it is said: “ Personal things of the murdered Russians have been stored in the Bangs in the Russian Embassy,” said RBC Press-Attache Viktor Tokmakov. “So far, to send them to Moscow, according to him, it is not possible for“ financial and technical reasons ” . But after my publication, Mrs. Zakharova publicly insulted me, accusing me of lies and manipulations by public opinion.

Dear Maria Vladimirovna, I would be glad to publish a refutation, but, unfortunately, I do not possess the documents that things were sent from banks and delivered to Moscow on July 30. In their letters, your deputies also refuse to name the date of sending, although we asked, wrote: “We will be grateful ...” - “But we are not obliged,” they say.

The newspaper is also not obliged to publish a refutation, not having facts in hand, except for those represented by the investigation.

I would also like to know from Mrs. Zakharova, did things really be sent to Moscow until July 17? Is it possible to get acquainted with any document where the exact date of sending is indicated? From what date and month the things of the dead were in the Embassy of the Russian Federation in Bangs? If you believe the investigator - since March of this year, that is, 4 months have passed. Why so long? And finally, why is the Russian Foreign Ministry instead of cooperating with the relatives of the dead, he is engaged in crocheting and public insults?

However, all this is journalism. I want to understand: what kind of things were brought to Moscow? Those who remained in the hotel, or those that were on our relatives at the time of the murder. The latter makes it possible to conduct a full ballistic examination. Investigator Sharaev, who, after summer publications in the “New”, took himself a criminal case, does not answer questions - demands to make an appointment through the reception.

Never behaved with the victims ...