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Alert

WAN protests closing of newspaper for publishing prophet cartoon

(WAN/IFEX) - The following is a joint WAN-World Editors Forum letter to the Russian information minister:

Right Honourable Leonid Dododzhonovich Reyman
Minister of Information
Moscow, Russia
Email: webmaster@ptti.gov.ru

17 February 2006

Dear Minister,

We are writing on behalf of the World Association of Newspapers and the World Editors Forum, which represent 18,000 publications in 102 countries, to express our serious concern at the closure of the newspaper Gorodski Vesti for publishing a cartoon showing the Prophet Muhammad and other religious figures.

According to reports, on 16 February local authorities in Volgograd closed Volgograd-Info, publisher of Gorodski Vesti, following the publication on 9 February of an article entitled "There is no room for racists in power" that was accompanied by caricatures of Christ, Moses, Buddha and Muhammad.

The four religious figures were seated in front of a television set that showed two groups of men about to start a fight. "We never taught them that!" the caption read.

While appreciating that the cartoon may have caused offence to many Muslims, we respectfully remind you that the decision as to whether or not to publish such material is an editorial decision and not one with which the state should interfere.

We respectfully remind you that the closure of Gorodski Vesti is a breach of the right to freedom of expression, which is guaranteed by numerous international conventions, including the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Article 19 of the Declaration states: "Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes the freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media, regardless of frontiers."

We respectfully call on you to do everything possible to ensure that Gorodski Vesti is immediately permitted to publish free from state intervention. We urge you to take all necessary steps to ensure that in future your government fully respects the right to freedom of expression.

We look forward to hearing from you at your earliest convenience.

Yours sincerely,

Gavin O'Reilly
President, World Association of Newspapers

George Brock
President, World Editors Forum

cc: Mr Kofi Annan
Secretary-General, United Nations

Mr Koichiro Matsuura
Director-General, UNESCO