Concluding an investigation that has lasted almost two months, the Prosecutor General's Office accused NTV independent television of publicizing ""propaganda of the cult of violence and cruelty"" and ""inciting national hatred"" when it aired an interview with wanted Chechen terrorist Shamil Basayev in June. ""Basayev and other active members of illegal armed formations were given the opportunity to speak about their criminal activity and to justify it in front of an audience of millions,"" said a statement released by the Prosecutor General's Office on Friday. Spokeswoman Natalya Vishnyakova denied earlier reports that the investigation had been due to accusations that NTV reporter Yelena Masyuk had withheld information from the government concerning the whereabouts of Basayev, who had escaped to the Chechen hills after leading a raid on the southern Russian town of Budyonnovsk in June. NTV spokeswoman Tatyana Blinova said the company's leaders are indignant but not surprised.