Death penalty for murdering journalists eyed in Russia

Published time: February 01, 2013 09:57
Edited time: February 01, 2013 15:02
Kazbek Gekkiyev (AFP Photo / Vesti KBR)

MPs in the South Russian Region of Kabardino-Balkaria have suggested the federal parliament re-introduce the death penalty for those convicted of killing reporters.

Currently the Russian Criminal Code has an article against creating obstacles to journalists’ work – this is punishable with up to six years in prison. Kabardino-Balkaria politicians want to amend the article with a paragraph that describes attempts on a journalist's life aimed which prevents them from carrying out their profession, as well as in revenge for such activities. Legislators consider it fair that such an offence is punishable by 12 to 20 years in prison or life in prison or even capital punishment.

Russia currently has a moratorium on the death penalty introduced in 1996 in order to comply with the regulations of the Council of Europe.

Khamid Bashorov of the Kabardino Balkaria Public Security Committee told the Interfax news agency that the move was prompted by the need to increase the level of protection for Russian journalists, and to secure additional legal guarantees for their work. “Pressuring reporters to the point of attacks on their lives remain the most acute everyday problem in our life,” the official said.

The move comes after the killing of Kazbek Gekkiyev – a correspondent who worked for the state television company Vesti KBR. Gekkiyev was gunned down on December 5, about 6 months after he started anchoring a news program at Vesti KBR. Before that the journalist and his colleagues had repeatedly received threats over their coverage of counter-terrorist operations in the republic.

Police established the identities of Gekkiyev’s two attackers by studying CCTV records and put the men on a wanted list. One of the criminals was killed by police on January 22.

According to the Russian NGO Glasnost Defense Foundation four journalists and media workers were killed throughout Russia in 2012 and over 90 reporters became victims of attacks while at work.

Comments (21)

Count Cash 04.02.2013 12:55

“just gave you an example of where the guilt to murder(s) could be determined without doubt, and you said " I support the concept of an eye for an eye, but as humans CANNOT determine the offender beyond all doubt, " – No you didn’t what you gave was an example where you thought you could determine guilt without all doubt. I don’t accept your example, so what you demonstrated was an example where you thought you could determine guilt beyond absolute doubt. No problem with that, you can think what you like. However what you cannot do is insist that I MUST think that your example is sound and therefore the resultant ‘proof’; for it is a proof for you, not for me! Remember I live in the REAL world with humans and REAL process. Some more hints - the criminal act is not alone in determining guilt, the mind is there too, so is the process and other laws covering insanity that interfere with estimation of guilt or sentence, then of course there are the human witnesses who are human estimators with error. I can believe in and even prove that a conical shaped object possessing mass placed in a gravitational field, its point resting on a surface that follows a contour of equipotential can be arranged such that there is no rotational component. But I cannot stand a simple pencil on a table. Have you thought why reasonable doubt was used? If a hypothetical all doubt replaced reasonable doubt, the defense Champaign buckets would be prepared before every case and the death penalty, as it should, would rapidly become extinct, returning society to a civil humane existence. For we are humans after all and therefore can have differnt views, estimates and thoughts!

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Mensa 03.02.2013 23:08

Count Cash wrote in #15
“And since you support the concept of an eye for an eye, you must then support the death penalty.” – NO (hint read and UNDERSTAND earlier post – happy to help out with any misunderstandings, but spoon feeding is not my style). //////
Oh, I know very well what you said, it just isn't consistent. Perhaps english is not your first language. I know very well your style, obfuscation and seeking to blame others. I just gave you an example of where the guilt to murder(s) could be determined without doubt, and you said " I support the concept of an eye for an eye, but as humans cannot determine the offender beyond all doubt, ". But, it seems I must spoon feed to you what you said.QED

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D'artagnan 03.02.2013 19:26

If you kill an average person you won't get the death penalty, you might even get a reward.  Especially if  the person is being reported on, in government approved  articles.

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