WASHINGTON -- On March 18, RFE/RL's Moscow bureau administrator was approached at her home by two unknown men identifying themselves as journalists with Russia's NTV channel and seeking personal information.
The men, one of whom had a video camera and sought to film the premises, questioned her repeatedly about her income and properties they said she owned in and around Moscow. One of the men said he had received such information from former employees of the Russian Service. The administrator refused to answer the questions.
RFE/RL Editor in Chief Nenad Pejic has responded to the harassment of a Moscow bureau staff member, calling the incident "a disgusting example of intimidation," and saying that "authorities in Russia appear to be preparing a case against us because of our journalism."
OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media Dunja Mijatović has condemned an attack on journalist Igor Rudnikov in Kaliningrad and called on the authorities to carry out a swift and thorough investigation into the case.
According to reports, on March 17 Rudnikov, the editor and founder of the Noviye Kolyosa newspaper, was attacked by a group of unidentified individuals at a café. He was hospitalized with multiple stab wounds.