BOARD OF DIRECTORS
 
Arnold Amber

President
 
Mori Abdolalian
CJFE Journalists in Exile
 
Alison Armstrong
Journalist/writer
 
Bob Carty
CBC-Radio "This Morning"
 
Barbara Falk
Writer/Lecturer
 
Mike Forzley
Chief Financial Officer, Mint Technology Corp
 
Roger Holmes
The Wainwright Star Chronicle, Alberta
 
Steve Lukits
Royal Military College
 
John Norris
Lawyer, Ruby, Edwardh
 
Carol Off
CBC Television Network News
 
Jake Peters
Photojournalist
 
Kelly Toughill
King's College, Nova Scotia
 
Philip Tunley
Lawyer, McCarthy Tétrault LLP
 
Mary Deanne Shears
Journalist

Sally Warren
Journalist, Editor, Author
  ADVISORY BOARD
 
Peter Desbarats
Maclean-Hunter Chair for Communications Ethics, Ryerson
 
Parker Barss Donham
freelance
 
John Honderich
The Toronto Star
 
John Macfarlane
Toronto Life
 
Joe Matyas
Southern Ontario Newspaper Guild
 
Ann Medina
freelance
 
Rick Moffat
Radio-TV News Directors Assn.
 
Lynda Powless
Native Journalists' Association
 
Lloyd Robertson
CTV News
 
Robert Scully
Télémision Information Inc.
 
Julian Sher
Canadian Association of Journalists
 
Keith Spicer
Institut du Monde anglophone Université de Paris III Sorbonne nouvelle
 
Norman Webster
Montreal

Vladimir Lukin, Russia Human Rights Ombudsman
Moscow, Russia
Okhotny Ryad 1
of. 09-02 (Old building)

August 1, 2007

Dear Commissioner,

I am writing on behalf of Canadian Journalists for Free Expression (CJFE), a non-profit, non-governmental organization that works to promote and protect press freedom and freedom of expression around the world.

CJFE is distressed by news of journalist and United Civil Front opposition movement member Larisa Arap's forced hospitalization in a Murmansk psychiatric clinic.

The incident occurred following the publication of her report on the city's psychiatric clinics in the special section of the movement's newspaper. The article addressed the issue of violence used by medical staff at the regional psychiatric hospital.

According to Yelena Vasilyeva, head of the opposition movement in Murmansk, on July 5, 2007, Arap visited the clinic to pick up a medical health certificate required to re-register her driver's license. Upon learning she was the journalist who had written about the clinic, the doctor on duty called the police and an ambulance. Arap's hands were bound and she was immediately taken to the Murmansk psychiatric hospital.

Despite her relatives' written request for information regarding her diagnosis, doctors have refused to disclose the information. By law close relatives have the right to be informed of the diagnosis. The hospital was also required to notify her relatives of her hospitalization within 24 hours, but disregarded this as well. Moreover, when Arap's husband and daughter came to the clinic the doctor on duty yelled that no one had a right to report on hospital activities.

Both Vasilyeva and Arap's relatives believe the hospital administration is punishing her, but are not ruling out the possibility that doctors received instructions from the Federal Security Service, created on April 7 to combat opposition movements.

CJFE believes Arap is being held against her will in relation to her writing about the hospital and call for her immediate release. We urge you to use your position as Human Rights Commissioner to ensure that Larisa Arap's right to free expression is protected.

Yours Sincerely,

Arnold Amber, CJFE President

Cc: Georgiy Mamedov, Ambassador of Russia to Canada
Christopher Westdal, Ambassador of Canada to Russia
Oleg Panfilov, CJES