08 May 2009
Press Freedom in Russia on Downward Slope, Report Says
Kremlin extends grip on reporters, Internet, media advocacy group reports
Washington — Growing restrictions on the print and electronic press in Russia are reminiscent of the Kremlin’s tight control of media during the Soviet period, according to a new report from Freedom House.
“Media freedom continued to decline in 2008, with the Kremlin relying on Soviet-style media management to facilitate a sensitive political transition as well as deflecting responsibility for widespread corruption and political violence,” the report said.
Freedom House, the nearly 70-year-old U.S.-based nongovernmental organization dedicated to research on democracy and human rights, issued on May 1 its latest report, concluding that press freedom globally continues to decline. The biggest declines are concentrated in Russia and other former Soviet Union countries, marking what the report calls the “steady closing of what had previously been a much freer media space.”
Legal pressure and attempts to control broadcast media outlets have created a political landscape where the ability of Russian citizens to make informed choices has been compromised, the report said.
Despite Russian constitutional provisions protecting press freedom, the report cites self-censorship by journalists as they try to prevent retribution in the form of harassment, physical or otherwise; the targeting of independent media outlets by regulators; and the inability of the “pliant” judiciary to protect journalists as factors that allow the Kremlin to dominate and control media.
“The Kremlin used the country’s politicized and corrupt criminal justice system to harass and prosecute the few remaining independent journalists who dared to criticize the widespread abuses committed by authorities,” the report said.
It noted that 16 media figures, including Novaya Gazeta journalist Anna Politkovskaya, director of the opposition Web site ingushetiya.ru Magomed Yevloyev, and reporter Tamerlan Alishayev were murdered because of their efforts to expose human rights abuses and corruption.
Internet reporters and bloggers have also faced troubles, Freedom House said.
In March, Freedom House released a report titled “Freedom on the Net: A Global Assessment of Internet and Digital Media” that analyzed the Internet environment in 15 countries including Russia, China, India and the United Kingdom. The report gave Russia a grade of “partly free,” saying that while there have not been any “significant” cases of technical blocking or filtering, authorities increasingly have engaged in intentional content removal, and bloggers have been subject not only to hackers, but also to physical violence and legal prosecution.
“Although the [Russian] constitution grants the right of free speech, there are no special laws protecting online modes of expression, and even constitutional guarantees are routinely violated,” the March report said.
Freedom House said that prior to parliamentary elections, 10 popular bloggers were targeted by political operatives allegedly affiliated with the government.
“The blogs were ravaged and defaced. DDoS (Distributed Denial of Service) attacks became another powerful instrument of the Kremlin’s hidden influence,” the report said.
While cases of systematic blocking have not been well documented, harassment by telephone is extremely common and widespread.
“Security agencies, the Kremlin and regional administration officials call owners, shareholders, and anyone else in a position to remove unwanted material and ensure that the problem does not come up again,” the report said.
After such calls are made, Web editors and managers are much more inclined to practice self-censorship; one such director explained that his company gets around 100 requests a day to “black out” content that is nationalistic or anti-government.
Freedom House’s reports on Internet freedom and press freedom (PDF, 168 K) are available on the organization’s Web site.
