Russia: journalist’s house attacked
Russian journalist Yulia Latynina’s home in Moscow was attacked and sprayed with an unknown substance on Tuesday 18 July.
The International and the European Federations of journalists (IFJ/EFJ) join their affiliates the Russian Union of Journalists (RUJ) in condemning the attack.
On the evening of 18 July, a group of unidentified attackers covered the home of opposition journalist Yulia Latynia with a corrosive and odorous chemical compound that caused breathing problems for the occupants.
The journalist reported to Ekho Moskvy radio station that 8 people including 4 elderly persons and 2 children were affected.
Yulia Latynina, a prominent journalist and fierce critic of the Kremlin, works for the Novaya Gazeta newspaper and radio Ekho Moskvy. She is also a former Moscow Times columnist.
The RUJ claims that the attack against Yulia Latynina’s activities is linked to her profession and the views she defends. “Regardless of the journalist’s political stance, any threat to a journalist’s health or life is unacceptable. We hope that the investigative bodies will find the perpetrator in the shortest possible time and bring them to court,” said the RUJ.
Yulia Latynina had previously been attacked in August 2016 when attackers poured a bucket of feces over her on her way to work.
The IFJ and EFJ will file a complaint to the Council of Europe’s platform for the protection of journalism.
Credit: Dmitry Rozhkov/ Wikicommons
