Roman Shleynov: Journalist - Russia
Received the Integrity Award on 16 February 2009
From embezzlement by a former Russian nuclear energy minister to billions of black market cigarettes en route to Europe, Roman Shleynov focuses almost exclusively on exposing the corrupt bonds between business and politics.
His independent reporting and investigative expertise at Novaya Gazeta has brought Shleynov to the attention of Russia’s Federal Security Service (the former KGB) on several occasions.
Since 2000, Novaya Gazeta has seen four of its journalists brutally murdered, including three who worked on corruption stories. The well-respected paper is known for its independent, investigative reporting, and has exposed incidences of high-level corruption in Russia, where the majority of the media is state controlled.