Russia admits higher Covid-19
deathtoll amid journalist detentions
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| A law enforcement officer stands guard outside a closed Moscow mosque |
Russian authorities admit that more people have died of
Covid-19 than previously disclosed. The government is also accused of misusing
the pandemic to suppress dissent by detaining journalists and other critics.
By Stefan J. Bos
Moscow's Heath Department reluctantly acknowledged that the
official death toll from Covid-19 in the Russian capital for April is twice as
much as previously reported.
The city's health department now claims 1,561 people died
from the disease - not 639 as initially announced.
Confirmation that the numbers had been under-reported
emerged before Russia reported 232 new coronavirus deaths. That was its most
significant daily death toll during the pandemic so far.
With nearly 8,600 new recorded infections, Russia has the
third-highest number in the world of almost 388,000 cases.
The official number of deaths approaches 4,400 people.
Moscow questioned
Journalists based in Moscow had already questioned the
official statistics saying the numbers were too low. But they were accused of
fake news and distortion.
Being a journalist in Moscow isn't easy these days. A group
of well-known Russian journalists was detained in Moscow
on Thursday as they took part in single-person protests over a 15-day
jail term handed down to a colleague.
Council of Europe Rights Commissioner Dunja Mijatovic said
she was "greatly dismayed" and called for their release. The
journalists were taking part in single pickets - the only protest allowed
without authorities' approval. They accused police of using the Covid-19
outbreak to crackdown on activists.
The reporters detained mostly work for independent media
outlets. Most have now been freed, but charged with various offenses. Besides
arrests in Moscow, detentions of government critics have also been reported in
St.Petersburg, Russia's second-largest city.
It comes at a time when Russian President Vladimir Putin
faces growing social unrest over the economic impact of the pandemic and other
increasingly criticized policies.
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