A leading online tabloid has published opposition leader Boris Nemtsov\u2019s private phone conversations, during which he denigrated other Russian opposition activists. Nemtsov claims his phone was illegally bugged and that the Kremlin is behind the leak.<\/p>\n
Nemtsov is one of the leaders of the unregistered opposition group the People\u2019s Freedom Party. He took an active part in organising a rally against<\/a> unfair parliamentary elections on 24 December. He has called the publication of the phone conversations \u201ca provocation\u201d and an attempt by prime-minister Vladimir Putin and Kremlin chief of staff Vladislav Surkov to \u201cwreck the rally on 24 December and sow discord into opposition involved in organising the rally\u201d.<\/p>\n The allegation has been bolstered by the fact that the tabloid LifeNews is a part of the National Media Group controlled by tycoon Jury Kovalchuk, known as a Putin supporter. The Russian Investigative Committee announced they would begin “procedural checking” into the publication of Nemtsov’s phone conversations. But despite the fact that the calls were illegally recorded, LifeNews is unlikely to face the same sanctions as the British tabloid\u00a0The News of the World<\/a>:\u00a0those loyal to Putin don\u2019t usually lose in Russian courts.<\/p>\n LifeNews didn\u2019t specify how it had obtained the recordings of the phone calls, but such publication violates articles 137 and 138 of the Russian Criminal Code (invasion of personal privacy and violation of personal correspondence, telephone conversations, postal, telegraphic and other messages). Together with human rights activist Lev Ponomaryov, with whom his conversation LifeNews published, Nemtsov said he would file a suit against the tabloid.<\/p>\n Life News editor-in-chief Ashot Gabrelyanov defended the publication on business grounds: audience and advertising increase. \u201cNews about Nemtsov is in great demand\u201d Gabrelyanov told Lenta.ru news agency.<\/p>\n