Moscow Tax Inspection #3 froze accounts of the Educated Media Foundation that is considered to be an assignee of the educational journalistic organisation Internews. According to the lawyer of the foundation Victor Parshutkin, the official matter for accounts to be got frozen became the information that the Educated Media Foundation had not filed VAT taxes for the last quarter. At the same time, as the lawyer explained, the direction of the Tax Inspection even did not dissemble that they had frozen all the accounts by an order of the Investigating Committee on the criminal case against president of the Educated Media Foundation Manana Aslamazyan.
Parshutkin said that he was going to appeal investigation actions in the Moscow Tverskoy Court. “The advocacy reckons that the case against Manana Aslamazyan has turned into the case against the whole organisation” - he said. According to him, this is the way the government strives with disagreeable non-governmental organisation internationally supported.
Since 1997 an International NGO Internews provided in Russia educational programs for journalists. In autumn 2006 Internews joined the Educated Media Foundation and in January 2007 the Foundation became the official assignee of all projects, grants, property and duties of Internews. Among founders of the organisation there are a lot of scientists, businessmen, cultural and media figures. The organisation is partly supported by the USAID, some funds it receives from grants of the EU and from commercial activity of the organisation.
At the same time the Moscow Savelovsky Court is to consider another case concerning the seizure of documents of the Educated Media Foundation. Searches and seizures that made the Foundation stop functioning were provided in April, 18 by the Department of Economic Security.
President of the media organisation is accused of money smuggling. In January 2007 Manana Aslamazyan returned from private trip to Paris. In the airport she was detained as she had 9,5 thousand euro undeclared that is more than $10 000, a sum allowed to carry without declaring. Aslamazyan explained that all has happened through misunderstanding, she just hasn’t estimated difference between dollar’s and euro’s rates and that she was ready to be personally liable for the mistake.
But it was all the Educated Media Foundation that had to account for the mistake. Documents of the organisation were withdrawn and that became the reason for complaint in the court. Almazyan’s lawyers claim that the investigation concerns a certain person and has no relations to economy affairs of the Foundation. Aslamazyan expressed perplexity that the organisation should be responsible for personal president’s mistake. According to her, all the troubles are caused by the fact that she is the head of a non-governmental organization and “somebody just doesn’t like the activities of the Foundation”.
First Aslamazyan’s appeal should have been considered in the Golovinsky Court but then the case has been passed into the Savelovsky Court, as Air and Water Transport Internal Affairs Directorate that investigates the case is under the jurisdiction just of this Court.
This case aroused a deep public resonance in the journalists’ community. There was an open letter to the President Vladimir Putin published. Authors of the petition claimed that they consider activities of the law-enforcement authorities to be just another violation of civil rights. They emphasized the significant role of Manana Aslamazyan and her Foundation in establishment and development of professional TV in contemporary Russia. At the same time, the authors of the letter indicate, the Educated Media Foundation has never provided politician activity but just learnt journalists to make professional and responsible TV.
