A group of reporters and members of the public gathered outside Moscow police headquarters yesterday with a petition demanding protection for journalists, and top reporters have signed an open letter to President Dmitry Medvedev, published in Kommersant newspaper, calling for a full investigation in response to Saturday’s violent attack on prominent political reporter and ‘role model‘ Oleg Kashin, who was badly beaten and remains in critical condition in hospital.  ‘It’s obvious that the people who did this did not like what he was saying and what he was writing,‘ said Kommersant editor Mikhail Mikhailin.  Medvedev tweeted: ‘The criminals must be found and punished.‘ The Moscow Times has a detailed biography of Kashin’s career, including run-ins with various authorities and other writers.  Bloomberg links the attack to Kashin’s writing on the Khimki forest campaign, as does RFE/RL, which notes that another Khimki defender was attacked just two days prior.