The report by the Dossier Center (https://dossier.center/car/) on the murder of a group of journalists led by Orkhan Dzhemal in the Central African Republic caught the Russian authorities off guard, who were unable to respond or refute its factual side. Even the Kremlin’s propaganda resources showed rare helplessness this time.
For those who did not have time to familiarize themselves with such voluminous material, we recommend watching a short video presenting its main essence (https://youtu.be/U0nuFgKq0kw).
Among other things, the report formally states that the Russian Foreign Ministry does not provide any assistance in the investigation of the murders of Russian citizens abroad, and in fact counteracts this investigation.
Maria Zakharova, the chief propagandist of this department, decided to respond to this on her Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/maria.zakharova.167/posts/10220194365919041), trying to compensate for the complete lack of counterarguments with the usual rudeness towards the authors of the investigation.
«Novaya Gazeta wrote today that «the personal belongings of the deceased (the murdered Russian journalists) stored at the Russian Embassy in the Central African Republic still cannot be transported to Moscow. Neither the Investigative Committee, nor the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, nor the Ministry of Defense of Russia are doing this». This is an example of another lie that is so characteristic of the coverage of this issue. Without going into the details of the investigative process and without examining these two sentences, in which the information is presented not in a factual key, but as a means of manipulating public opinion and as a propaganda tool, I will say only one thing: the personal belongings of the murdered journalists were sent from the Central African Republic to Moscow,» wrote the chief propagandist of Smolenskaya Square.
However, Orkhan Dzhemal’s widow, journalist Irina Gordienko, accused her of lying and described in detail (https://golosislama.com/news.php?id=36856) the resistance she faced at all levels of the Russian government machinery in investigating the murder of her husband and the father of her child.
«Dear Maria, let’s follow your diplomatic language. You are blatantly and shamelessly lying. If you delved into the details of the investigation, you would know that I am the author of the article in «Novaya Gazeta,» that I am a victim in this case. And I claim from the words of investigator Zolotov, who told me personally, that the belongings of Orkhan, Kirill and Sasha have been stored in the Russian Embassy in the Central African Republic since March 2019. The Russian Foreign Ministry hasn’t lifted a finger all this time to correct this or to help investigate the case. Lavrov’s first deputy, Titov, has spent the entire year giving vague answers. Dear Maria. I wrote about this for the first time on July 17 after the visit to the investigator, not today. Study the story better. And if that’s the case, you could have acted quickly and sent the things to Moscow. Congratulations on your promptness! Don’t forget to let us know as soon as you deliver the things, dear Maria,» Gordienko wrote.
Indeed, Zakharova’s manipulative wording, which states only one thing: «The personal belongings of the murdered journalists were sent from the Central African Republic to Moscow,» without specifying the exact date of their shipment, clearly suggests her insincerity. This leads to the assumption that this was done either immediately after the publication of the latest report or after Gordienko’s latest article.
Alexander Radchenko, the father of another murdered journalist, Kirill Radchenko, accused Zakharova of insincerity: «Maria Vladimirovna, tell me why the Foreign Ministry has been «hesitating» for four months (I repeat, FOUR) to arrange a meeting for me and my eldest son with the staff of the Central African Republic embassy in Moscow. Why can’t your superiors meet with me for FOUR months? They can’t meet with me to the extent that they force me to file a complaint with the General Prosecutor’s Office for violation of my rights. And I wanted to tell your superiors about the mistakes made by you, Tokmakov, temporarily involved in Russia’s affairs in the Central African Republic, and Polyansky, Russia’s deputy representative to the UN Security Council, regarding the reporting of the circumstances of the murder of my son Kirill, Orkhan and Alexander. I say «mistakes» to avoid using more precise words… Yes, and for everyone present here — please file a lawsuit against me. I can send and present in court our correspondence with the State Department».
In addition, he confirmed that they had not received his murdered son’s belongings, which had been «sent» by the Foreign Ministry: «I, the father of Kirill Radchenko, who was shot in the Central African Republic, and a victim in this case, confirm that two weeks ago we didn’t have the deceased’s belongings in Russia. Irina Gordienko is right. And Maria Vladimirovna is, to put it mildly, covering up for the entire Foreign Ministry, as Irina suggested.»
Zakharova simply ignored all of these comments, although, as can be seen from the discussion below her post, she did respond to other, less significant and unrelated comments.