Raising Fears, Police Officers Raid U.S. NGO

[CHIMO]

Source: Updated Moscow Time

About 20 police officers locked themselves in the Moscow offices of a U.S.-based nongovernmental organization Wednesday, and they were continuing to confiscate papers from filing cabinets and desks late into the evening.

The raid on Internews, which trains journalists and works with many media outlets, sparked fears about a possible crackdown under a restrictive, new NGO law.

Manana Aslamazian, executive director of Internews Moscow, said police were linking the search to her detention at Sheremetyevo Airport in January for failing to declare excess cash. But she believed it was more than that.

"We are not a media outlet; we just train media people. I think all this is related to foreign NGO restrictions in Russia," she said by cell phone from her offices on Wednesday evening.



Read more: http://www.themoscowtimes.com/stories/2007/04/19/003.html

[rodeodance]

1. maybe soon the people of Russia will realize that despite their newly

found middle class and wealth------they are in trouble???

[ticapnews]

2. Why would they?

Most people here still haven't figured it out.

[Ian David]

3. Bush looked into Putin's soul and found a kindered spirit. n/t