Russia's Educated Media Foundation Forced to Suspend its Activities

On 18 April, 2007, officers of the Department of Economic Security of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia carried out a seizure of financial documents and electronic devices, the computer servers, over a period of 11 hours in the offices of the Educated Media Foundation, a non-governmental organization and the legal successor of Internews Russia.

The raid was carried out in connection with the criminal charges brought against Foundation President Manana Aslamazyan, who in January 2007 while going through customs after a private trip to Paris did not fill out a declaration form for 9,550 Euros and 5,130 Rubles (legally it is possible to bring $10,000 into the country without a declaration form).

Thousands of media representatives requested Vladimir Putin, the President of the Russian Federation, to see to the matter and cease the pursuit of Manana Aslamazyan. -Source: http://www.a1plus.am