Russian journalist says Putin turned Russia into “giant concentration camp”

Yelena Maglevannaya seeks asylum in Finland

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Russian journalist Yelena Maglevannaya says that she would like to ask Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin if he is not ashamed that he has “turned Russia into a gigantic concentration camp”.
      Maglevannaya held a press conference in Helsinki on Tuesday on the eve of Putin’s visit to Finland. She submitted an application for asylum in Finland last Thursday. Last week she took part in a seminar of the Finnish-Russian civic forum.
      According to Maglevannaya, nationalist extremists in Russia have tried to silence her, and even to lock her up in a mental hospital because she has written about torture in Russian prison, and especially the treatment of Chechen prisoners.
     
The official agenda of Prime Minister Putin’s visit includes the plans by Russia’s customs service to force container transport entering Russia off the highways and onto the railways, which the ministers of transport of both Finland and Russia see as difficult to implement very quickly.
      Another important question for Finland is the financing of programmes to promote cross- border cooperation between the EU and Russia, which Russia has not yet signed.
      Finland would like to see Russia sign the agreements soon, so that existing projects could continue, and new ones could be launched.
      A third important issue involves Russia’s plans to raise its export tariffs for timber, which Finland would like to see postponed or cancelled.
      Also to be discussed during the one-day visit will be environmental issues, and the Nord Stream undersea gas pipeline project.
      Dring his visit, Putin will meet Prime Minister Matti Vanhanen (Centre) and President Tarja Halonen.


Previously in HS International Edition:
  Russian plan to move container transport from highways to rails to be discussed during Putin visit (2.6.2009)

Helsingin Sanomat