Chief editors of numerous Russian state newspapers, television and radio broadcasters are protesting the sentencing of a photojournalist with the Ria Novosti agency, dpa quoted the same agency as saying today. The editors sent an open letter to Russian Interior Minister Rashid Nurgaliyev accusing the police of falsifying testimony and other breaches of the law. The Ria Novosti photographer was arrested while taking pictures at a non-approved demonstration and given a small fine. The agency maintains he was only doing his job. The protest is unusual in Russia, where journalists are often the target of state aggression.
