TV channel “Rain”* filed a statement to the Investigative Committee of Russia, in which he reported a crime committed by the head of Chechnya, Ramzan Kadyrov.
The statement of the TV channel notes that Kadyrov’s statement was made “with the aim of inciting hatred or enmity, on the grounds of belonging to a social group formed by employees of LLC TV Rain.” According to the TV channel, the actions of the head of Chechnya can be qualified under paragraph “a” of part 2 of Article 282 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (“Inciting hatred or enmity”).
Dozhd’s statement also states that “none of the channel’s employees is or has been prosecuted under an article on terrorism, and no warnings have been issued against Dozhd and the chief editors of the channel in accordance with the law on countering extremist activities, no protocols have been drawn up on Administrative Offenses for Distributing Extremist Materials or Justifying Terrorist Activities.”
Recall that the reason for filing the application was a video message from Ramzan Kadyrov, published on his page on the social network VKontakte on February 1. In it, the head of Chechnya called for criminal proceedings against Dozhd, Novaya Gazeta, human rights activist Igor Kalyapin and Novaya Gazeta journalist Elena Milashina. “What facts do you need that they are terrorists, accomplices of terrorists? Where are you looking?” – Kadyrov addressed law enforcement agencies.
Earlier, Novaya Gazeta demanded to open a criminal case against Kadyrov. And the editor-in-chief of the Ekho Moskvy radio station, Alexei Venediktov, on behalf of the editors, called on law enforcement agencies to pay attention to Kadyrov’s conflict with journalists and human rights activists. The Kremlin promised to pay attention to this statement.
