Last week in Makhachkala was burnt down the editorial office of the newspaper «Svobodnaya Respublika» («Free Republic»). So far the fire commission of experts has not yet ascertained the cause of the incident, but various versions are unofficially suggested. One of them states that it was sabotage, connected with the sharp publications of the oppositional edition. As regards the employees of the «Respublika», they tend to put blame on short circuit. On that day, as witnessed by the residents of nearby homes, something strange was happening with electricity in that district – at times the light appeared, then disappeared again, and as they say the wiring did not manage to stand the change of voltage. Incidentally, on the same day, not far away, in the area of the trolleybus depot, another building had begun to burn for the same reason. But this was more fortunate: the fire was quickly noticed and extinguished.
As it usually happens in such cases, the incident generated a lot of rumors: the newspaper had allegedly had overwhelming debts for the lease of premises and the fire was arranged by the publishers themselves in order to «cover the tracks». The Editor-in-Chief of «Respublika» Ayshat Abdullayeva called such allegations absurd: «What was the goal we pursued, setting to fire our editorial office? We are not going to be closed. These rumours are spread by our competitors».
And indeed, though in a shortened variant, but the newspaper was issued. And it remained faithful to the chosen course - criticism of the leadership of Daghestan. «Svobodnaya Respublika», since its creation, has been firmly associated with the son of the ex-president of the republic Magomedsalam Magomedov, for whose money it was supposedly started to be published in February 2006. As asserted by another independent republican publication – the newspaper «Novoe delo» («New deal»), Magomedov took such a step after the unsuccessful attempt to become the owner of the newspaper «MK» in Daghestan», which was associated with another well-known politician Gadzhi Makhachev. The former and the prospected new owner did not manage to agree, and as a result, more than 100 thousand dollars intended for the purchase of «MK» in Daghestan», were invested in another newspaper, and «MK» in Daghestan» eventually went to Said Amirov.
On establishing the «Respublika», its backbone had come from «MK» Daghestan». But then the staff was replenished by fresh journalistic force, to whom was given the task - instead of painless «lightly biting» to choose the tactics of mass criticism.
Once a well-known journalist Yulia Latynina said that nowhere in Russia there was so much freedom of speech as in Daghestan. No less than ten weekly publications have been founded here in recent years. Considering that before no less than fifty newspapers were issued here, one may argue that Daghestan has no equals in the number of publications per head. One thing is that many of them are of small circulation, financially insolvent, hardly make ends meet, and another thing is that a more or less big functionary considers that he/she should own a publication. So specific is the fashion today. |
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