Babitsky has no passport, could not attend Forum 2000Babitsky has no passport, could not attend Forum 2000 MOSCOW, Oct 16 (CTK) - Russian reporter of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) Andrei Babitsky could not attend the international Forum 2000 conference organised by Czech President Vaclav Havel at Prague Castle as he does not have a passport, he told CTK today., He said that the Russian authorities did not directly ban him from attending the forum in Prague but had not issued travel documents for him and thus he could not travel abroad at all. Babitsky has been disfavoured by the Kremlin for his coverage of events in Chechnya. "Many efforts have been taken to prevent me from travelling abroad at all," Babitsky said, adding that he had many invitations from foreign countries and that he received a personal invitation from President Havel to attend Forum 2000 but could not obtain necessary documents. Babitsky, who worked as a Radio Liberty correspondent in Chechnya, had his documents taken away from him this January when he was arrested in the Chechen capital of Grozny by a Russian military patrol. He then spent a certain time in custody and later was handed by the Russian organs over to unnamed persons, allegedly in exchange for Russian soldiers. When he was freed he was forced to use a passport of a certain Azeri citizen, in which his photograph was stuck. Due to the use of his document he was recently sentenced to a fine by the local court in the Dagestan capital Makhachkala. However, he does not have to pay it as he was was given an amnesty immediately after the ruling was announced. Babitsky told CTK today that his Russian documents were returned to him some time ago but he was banned from leaving Moscow where he has permanent residency. Babitsky told CTK he firmly believed that as he did not commit any crime he would be acquitted of all charges. He said that the court judgement was revenge by secret services and the Kremlin for the reports from Chechnya he has sent during Russia's fight against Chechnya. He said he expected to receive his travel documents in two or three weeks and would thus be able to come to the Czech Republic. He said he would work in Prague as an editor at Radio Liberty. So far he worked for the Moscow branch of the station, which is financed by the U.S. Congress.
Czech News Agency (CTK). |
