Journalist gunned down in Russia’s North Caucasus

MOSCOW - Agence France-Presse

A television news presenter was shot dead in a city center in Russia’s volatile North Caucasus, the latest deadly attack against a journalist in the region, officials said yesterday.

The 28-year-old journalist Kazbek Gekkiyev was gunned down on Dec.5 evening in the city of Nalchik, the regional center of the Kabardino-Balkaria region, as he was returning from work, the regional Interior Ministry said. Gekkiyev was a news presenter at the regional branch of state channel VGTRK, but shocked colleagues said he never covered any controversial subjects that could offend anyone.

VGTRK’s federal news report shown in Moscow said Gekkiyev’s assailants apparently made sure he worked for the news program before opening fire. Two of Gekkiyev’s former colleagues at the channel were threatened by militants in February, according to the Glasnost Defense Foundation.