March 30, 2007	Friday	Rabi-ul-Awwal 10, 1428

MOSCOW: A Russian newspaper editor faces five years in jail for publishing articles alleging corruption and human rights abuses in his region, a media rights watchdog warned on Thursday.

Viktor Shmakov, editor of a local newspaper in Central Russia, has been charged with “extremist activity” for publishing two commentaries in his newspaper calling for the resignation of the regional leader, Murtaza Rakhimov.

Shmakov has already been jailed on related charges following his arrest last year by the FSB state security service, but was later released, said the New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists. The articles were written by a local opposition leader, Airat Dilmukhametov, who also faces the same charges in the case, being heard in Ufa, the regional capital of Bashkortostan.—Reuters