Critics condemn state-sponsored censorship in Russia, Belarus :: Charter'97 :: News

Activists in Russia and Belarus offered a bleak picture of press freedom in two ex-Soviet republics on Tuesday, condemning what they said was state-sponsored media censorship and denouncing attacks on journalists who have challenged the governments.

As reporters and activists marked World Press Freedom, media watchdogs also offered praise to another former Soviet republic -- Ukraine -- for its efforts to secure freedom of the press. But the international media group Reporters Without Borders cautioned President Viktor Yushchenko to honor promises to solve the 5-year-old killing of investigative journalist Heorhiy Gongadze.

Journalists in Russia face increased violence -- 17 were attacked last year -- and freedom of thought is increasingly under threat, groups say. Reporters without Borders said last month that the attacks, such as the killing of the editor of Forbes Magazine`s Russian edition Paul Klebnikov, have terrorized the press and forced journalists "into generalized self-censorship."

Critics says the government has instituted overwhelming constraints on television coverage, depriving most Russians access to vital information. Research suggests that as much as 90 percent of Russians get their news from television.
"There is fierce anti-Western and anti-liberal propaganda on television," said Leonid Radzikhovsky, a journalist and political analyst. "There is only one political line dominating news coverage."

Critics have accused Russian President Vladimir Putin of cracking down on freedom of speech since he came to power in 2000 and of shutting down television stations whose reporting was critical of the government.

Russia`s top three television channels are either owned or run by the state; they regularly praise Putin and his aides in newscasts and often skip painful and critical subjects like the conflict in Chechnya.

Reporters without Borders also sharply criticized Belarusian President Alexandr Lukashenko for tightening his grip on the media.

"The information minister used bogus bureaucratic reasons to suspend a dozen newspapers in the run-up to parliamentary elections and a referendum on Oct. 17," the group said in a statement. "The independent press is fighting to survive and is overshadowed by government media that mostly spout propaganda."

Press advocates in the region said they were more optimistic about Ukraine, with Yushchenko pledging to honor freedoms earned during last year`s "Orange Revolution" popular uprising.

"For myself and my team, the existence of a free media in Ukraine is one of our principles," Yushchenko said in a letter to Ukrainian journalists.

Journalists faced heavy censorship under former President Leonid Kuchma. Many revolted during the Orange Revolution protests, dumping presidential instructions on coverage. At one Kiev television station last year, a reporter said during a broadcast she was "sorry for being obliged to lie ... and I will not do it again."

Wealthy businessmen -- many linked to Yushchenko`s opponents -- still control many of Ukraine`s broadcast media. Some opposition-aligned stations have complained that they`ve been singled out for attack by regulators.

Yushchenko`s government has denied the allegations and has pledged to make freedom of the media a top goal. He also vowed to solve the killing of Gongadze, a muckraking Internet reporter whose headless body was found outside of Kiev in 2000.
He called on journalists to increase their professionalism and be "an impartial and honest control on the government."

"Without a doubt, the media fulfills a role as the fourth power, but we must be united in one thing: to defend national interests," the letter said.