Criminal case is brought in Khakassia in relation to editor-in-chief of Internet magazine "New Focus" Michael Afanasev. It was informed today to the main state agency ITAR-TASS in the Office of Public Prosecutor of republic Khakassia. He is incriminated distribution of knowingly false information about situation at Sayano-Shushenskaya Hydroelectric Power Plant. Department of inquiry of the Department of Internal Affairs of Abakan city brought criminal case under article of the criminal code of the Russian Federation "Slander connected to charge of a person in fulfillment of grave crime".
"It is established that on August, 18th Afanasev, possessing authentic and official information that continuous works on liquidation of consequences of failure and all necessary measures on search of missing people at Sayano-Shushenskaya Hydroelectric Power Station takes place, spread knowingly false information discrediting honour, dignity and undermining business reputation of management of the republic and Hydroelectric Power Plant" in Internet magazine "New Focus", - the source of ITAR-TASS in the Office of Public Prosecutor quotes.
Earlier the head of the Ministry of Emergency Measures Sergey Shojgu declared that people spreading rumour concerning accident at Sayano - Shushenskaya Hydroelectric Power Plant should be found.
"It is necessary to tell that information - very disturbing one - signed by three journalists including Afanasev was spread via a lot of media including us, - editor-in-chief of FORUm.msk Anatoly Baranov informed. - Not to publish this information, at that with reference to the source, was simply immoral. It was informed that people die but it's still possible to try to help them and information about it is being hold back. So, I do not see any slander in the text sent to us at all - there are even no surnames and posts in it - it's only said that "relatives of those who die in engine compartment fail to reach high chiefs in Khakassia. They are interested in holding back this information. Management of Hydroelectric Power Plant is not interested in superfluous expenses and nobody except us can try to help them. It is extremely necessary that information was read not only in RusGidro but also in the Kremlin and government".
- Where you can find slander here, who is the victim and who is slandered personally? - Anatoly Baranov asks. - Management of Hydroelectric Power Plant (who personally, what HYDROELECTRIC POWER PLANT) is not interested in superfluous expenses. Do you want to say that it's interested? Where's slander? Or, if to trust ITAR-TASS, "Afanasev, possessing authentic and official information that continuous works on liquidation of consequences of failure and all necessary measures on search of missing people at Sayano-Shushenskaya Hydroelectric Power Station takes place, spread knowingly false information discrediting honour, dignity and undermining business reputation of management of the republic and Hydroelectric Power Plant" in Internet magazine "New Focus"?
"Why they in the Office of Public Prosecutor put an equal-sign between official and trustworthy information? - Anatoly Baranov asks. - Well, let them get familiarized with communiques about this accident of the first days and they will at once see the difference between official and authentic. They consider in the Office of Public Prosecutor that all necessary measures are taken, while Afanasev thinks that it's not so - and he has his right to think so being guided by laws, certainly. Well and the last - to the question of reliability of official information: in the official communiqué of ITAR-TASS is said about initiation of criminal case under article of the criminal code of the Russian Federation "Slander connected to charge of a person in fulfillment of grave crime". And in the same message there are words of the public prosecutor qualifying actions of Afanaseva as "knowingly false information discrediting honour, dignity and undermining business reputation of management of the republic and Hydroelectric Power Plant" but It's absolutely different article. All this in one communiqué".
