Russian journalist dies after setting himself on fire



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The editor of a Russian news website was killed after setting herself on fire in front of the regional police headquarters on Friday, a day after officers searched her residence.

Russia’s Investigative Committee confirmed the death of Kolza’s press editor Irina Slavina in Nizhny Novgorod, a city of 1.2 million about 235 miles east of Moscow.

Ms. Slavina reported Thursday that police searched her home, although the nature of the search was unclear.

The independent news site Meduza reported that Slavina left a message on Facebook saying her death must be attributed to the Russian authorities.

Before her self-immolation, Irina Slavina wrote on her Facebook page: “I ask you to blame the Russian Federation for my death.”

Koza Press is a small local media outlet that advertises itself as “uncensored, no orders ‘from above’.” The day before his death, he wrote on Facebook that police officers and investigators had searched his apartment, writing that they were looking for “brochures, flyers and accounts” of the opposition group Russia Open, funded by Kremlin critic Mikhail Khodorkovsky.

She said they confiscated notebooks, her laptop and other electronic devices, as well as her daughter’s laptop and her husband’s mobile phone.

The committee’s local branch in the Nizhny Novgorod region later said that Slavina’s self-immolation had nothing to do with the searches made at her apartment the day before. He said he was only a witness in the criminal case for which the raids were carried out. Members of the Russian opposition said Slavina had been under pressure from the authorities. – AP / Reuters

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