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Irek Murtazin

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Irek Murtazin
Murtazin in 2008
Born
Irek Minzakievich Murtazin

5 April 1964
Occupation(s)journalist, activist, blogger
Children2
Familymarried
Websiteirek-murtazin.livdjournal.com

Irek Minzakievich Murtazin (Tatar: Ирек Мортазин, romanized: İrek Mortazin: Russian: Ирек Минзакиевич Муртазин; born 5 April 1964, Bogatye Saby) is a Russian journalist and blogger of Tatar descent, specialist of the International Institute of Research in Policy and the Humanities in Moscow [1] and, since September 2008, publisher of the newspaper Kazan News (Russian: Казанские вести).

In September 2008, he posted information to his blog to the effect that Tatar president Shaimiev had died; this information proved to be false. As a result, he was the subject of a criminal investigation into the matter. On 26 November 2009, Murtazin was found guilty of libel and "instigating hatred and hostility" to an ethnic or social group and sentenced to 1 year, 9 months of hard labor.[2][3] Murtazin had previously clashed with local and federal elites in his journalistic work; he resigned his post at "Tatarstan" on 14 November 2003 in the wake of a controversial segment in which program participants criticized Tatar policies and the war in Chechnya.[4] In December 2008, he was attacked and beaten near his Kazan apartment by unidentified persons.[5]

Works

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In addition to his work as a newspaper and television journalist, Murtazin has published several monographs.

  • The Last Romantic (Russian: Последний романтик)
  • The Death of a Television Magnate (Russian: Смерть телемагната)
  • The Island of Tatarstan (Russian: Остров Татарстан)
  • Mintimer Shaimiev: Last President of Tatarstan (Russian: Минтимер Шаймиев: последний президент Татарстана) (Cheboksary, 2007)
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  • Murtazin's LiveJournal, where the information on Shaimiev's alleged death was first posted, and which is now being used to support Murtazin during his imprisonment.

References

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  1. ^ "Информация об ИГПИ :: Сотрудники :: Ирек Муртазин". Международного Института гуманитарно-политических исследований. Retrieved 29 November 2009.
  2. ^ Король, Ольга (26 November 2009). "Экс-пресс-секретарю президента Татарстана Муртазину дали реальный срок". Комсомольская правда. Archived from the original on 15 June 2011. Retrieved 29 November 2009.
  3. ^ "Tatar Blogger Sentenced To Prison Term". Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty. 27 November 2009. Retrieved 29 November 2009.
  4. ^ "Reporters Without Borders Annual Report 2003 - Russia". UNHCR – Refworld. 2003. Retrieved 29 November 2009.
  5. ^ Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, "Prominent Tatar author, blogger beaten", 30 December 2008. [accessed 29 November 2009]