1 October 2003
IFEX MEMBERS DECRY "ASSAULT" ON PRESS FREEDOM
As Russia looks ahead to parliamentary elections in December, Freedom House and the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) are drawing attention to press-freedom conditions in the country, warning that President Putin's "alarming assault" on the country's independent press is jeopardising Russia's future stability and prosperity.
In a letter last week to George W. Bush, CPJ expressed concern that government policies initiated since Putin took power in 1999 have tightened already restrictive controls over the Russian press.
In particular, the groups say media laws passed in July give authorities "broad, excessive and arbitrary" powers to censor media outlets that print or broadcast "biased" political commentary during the upcoming elections.
CPJ also highlighted the culture of impunity surrounding the murder of journalists in Russia. Since 2000, at least 12 journalists have been killed in the country. No one has been convicted for these crimes, the groups noted. "Police, prosecutors and courts have failed to properly investigate and prosecute these crimes. This ? sends a shocking message to the world of Russia's indifference to press freedom," said CPJ.
Freedom House also wrote a letter to Bush, urging him to bring attention to the new media laws limiting election media coverage. The group said journalists and media outlets are routinely subjected to state-initiated criminal libel suits and other forms of harassment.
The Russian government has also targeted independent journalists and outlets that attempt to report on the war in Chechnya and on corruption. [This is] "a press that fears retribution for legitimate criticism of the government and honest reporting on crime and corruption," Freedom House said.
Read CPJ's report on Russia: http://www.cpj.org/protests/03ltrs/Russia24sept03pl.html
Read Freedom House's report on Russia: http://www.freedomhouse.org/pfs2003/pfs2003.pdf
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