Second Beslan Reporter Drugged

Concern over Russia's treatment of journalists covering the Beslan siege increased yesterday after a toxicologist revealed that traces of a tranquilliser had been found in a reporter who was arrested on her way to the school.

Nana Lezhava, from Georgia's independent Rustavi-2 TV station, described how she slept for 24 hours after drinking coffee in a holding cell. She had been accused of violating visa rules.

Gela Lezhava, the head of the oversight board at a Georgian drug research institute, told a news conference that urine samples taken from the reporter showed traces of tranquillisers. He said he suspected that the journalist was drugged by the Russian authorities.

The revelation came two days after the renowned Russian investigative reporter Anna Politkovskaya claimed she had been drugged while on a flight to Beslan from Moscow.

She said she became drowsy after taking tea on the plane and woke up in hospital, where a nurse told her she had been drugged, but that the records had been destroyed.

International watchdogs said this week that the detention of several journalists travelling to and from the school siege raised new concerns about press freedom in Russia.

President Vladimir Putin yesterday agreed to an investigation by the upper house of the parliament into the Beslan massacre, a concession to allay rising public anger at a lack of scrutiny of the government's mishandling of the tragedy. The upper house, the Federation Council, is considered more subservient to the Kremlin than the lower house.

Mr Putin, who had earlier dismissed the idea of a parliamentary inquiry, said: "Everyone wants a full and objective picture of all the tragic events."

Sergei Mironov, the head of the council, said a commission would be set up at a special session of the council on September 20. It is not clear who will lead it. The council will address further anti-terror laws in the same session.