Graduates of St. Petersburg State University held a rally in support of Elena Milashina

Graduates of the Faculty of Journalism of St. Petersburg State University held a rally in support of Elena Milashina, a journalist who was beaten in Chechnya. They unfurled a poster at the entrance to the university with the inscription “the face of Russian journalism” and a photo of the victim Milashina. In a conversation with Sever.Realii, the students said that in this way they wanted to support her “from the face of caring graduates.”

“Fingers broken in 14 places are the price that is now paid for the truth and the opportunity to convey it to people. The SC considers this to be “causing light and moderate harm to health,” said Elizaveta Antonova, one of the organizers of the action. She believes that those who beating journalists and obstructing their activities should be punished to the full extent of the law.

The action lasted about 25 minutes. Antonova says that during this time “people came up and asked who she was on the poster.” In response, the students told what Milashyna wrote about and why she was beaten. According to the students, the majority of passers-by expressed solidarity.

Lawyer Alexander Nemov and journalist Elena Milashyna flew to Grozny on the morning of July 4 for the sentencing in the case of the mother of the Chechen activists Yangulbayev Zarema Musaeva. At the airport, their taxi was blocked by three cars, unknown persons beat both of them, took away and damaged all the equipment.

Nemov said that armed men beat them with their feet, including in the face, threatened to shoot the lawyer, put a weapon to his head. Later, Nemov was diagnosed with a knife wound to his leg and other injuries. Milashina has a closed brain injury, up to 14 hand fractures and multiple soft tissue injuries.

On the same day, the press secretary of the president, Dmitry Peskov, said that Vladimir Putin had been informed about the attack on Milashyna and Nemov’s lawyer. According to him, it is a “very serious attack” that requires “vigorous measures” and the implementation of investigative actions.

The head of Chechnya, Ramzan Kadyrov, who called Milashina a terrorist and one of those who were allegedly “always destroyed” in the republic, promised to “figure out” the situation and “make every effort” to find the attackers.

In the evening of July 4, Chechen Ombudsman Mansur Soltaev stated that it was not possible to identify the attackers of Elena Milashyna and Alexander Nemov, as they were driving a car without license plates. SC opened the case more than a day and a half after it became known about the beating of Milashina and Nemov. There are no suspects in the case.