The Guardian writes about an official Brazilian request to Britain to extradite the Russian billionaire Berezovsky on money laundering charges. The billionaire, who made his fortune by likely illegal means during the corrupt rule of Boris Yeltsin, is also wanted by Russia for embezzling and for attempting to plot a coup.
In today’s report the Guardian writer includes this tiny gem:
The tycoon also faces potential prosecution in Russia over alleged calls for the government’s overthrow, stemming from an interview he gave earlier this year to the Guardian.
"Mr. Berezovsky’s alleged calls for the government’s overthrow" – hmmm.
A dictionary defines alleged as:
Represented as existing or as being as described but not so proved; supposed.
Let’s look at the record, the interview Mr. Berezovsky gave to the Guardian on April 13:
"We need to use force to change this regime," he said. "It isn’t possible to change this regime through democratic means. There can be no change without force, pressure." Asked if he was effectively fomenting a revolution, he said: "You are absolutely correct."
[…]
"There is no chance of regime change through democratic elections," he says. "If one part of the political elite disagrees with another part of the political elite – that is the only way in Russia to change the regime. I try to move that."
There is an audio clip available that includes the above words right out of Berezovsky’s mouth.
In light of the record, why does the writer characterize Berezovsky’s "calls for the government’s overthrow" as only "alleged"?