On 22 July, an unknown man called Svetlana Anokhina, a journalist in Dagestan, several times and threatened to kill her. After confirming he was speaking to Anokhina, the caller told her he had been “given orders to deal with feminists”. This was an apparent reference to Anokhina’s position as chief editor of Daptar.ru, an independent website which has covered women’s issues in the North Caucasus for the past six years.
Anokhina, speaking to the Committee to Protect Journalists, said the timing of the call suggested the threats may have been in response to an article she had published on a controversial case - the recent death of a Chechen woman, Madina Umayeva, who was allegedly murdered by her husband.
The article by journalist Lidia Mikhalchenko, published on Daptar.ru the day before the anonymous call, claimed that Chechen and federal level authorities had failed to investigate the alleged murder of Umayeva. When Anokhina mentioned contacting the Makhachkala district police station regarding the threats, the unknown caller claimed his relative was the “boss” there.
