(IPI/IFEX) – In a 14 June 2000 letter to President Vladimir Putin, IPI condemned in the strongest possible terms the arrest and detention of the Media-Most group owner Vladimir Gusinsky. On 13 June, Gusinsky, owner of the independent television station NTV and the Moscow newspaper “Sevodnya”, was arrested by the Kremlin’s chief prosecutor on suspicion […]
(IPI/IFEX) – In a 14 June 2000 letter to President Vladimir Putin, IPI condemned in the strongest possible terms the arrest and detention of the Media-Most group owner Vladimir Gusinsky.
On 13 June, Gusinsky, owner of the independent television station NTV and the Moscow newspaper “Sevodnya”, was arrested by the Kremlin’s chief prosecutor on suspicion of embezzlement. The charges are apparently connected to the purchase of a state-owned television station in St. Petersburg in the mid-1990’s. All charges are vigorously denied by Gusinsky’s media company. Gusinsky is currently being held in Moscow’s overcrowded Butyrskaya jail.
Gusinsky’s arrest for embezzlement comes after a series of assaults by the government on his media group.
On 11 May, armed police searched the head office of the Media-Most press organisation, as well as the offices of two group companies, NTV Internet and Memonet. Authorities cited a pre-trial investigation on Media-Most’s security services as the reason for the search (see IFEX alerts of 15 May 2000).
Furthermore, both NTV and the Echoes of Moscow radio station have complained of regular interference by the authorities, including threats to block the renewal of their licenses. In November, the bank accounts of Media-Most were frozen by the courts in an action involving unpaid credits.
According to media reports, in another disturbing act against the Media-Most group, the Kremlin appears to be attempting to replace the current vice-president of the NTV group, Yevgeni Kisselev, with an obedient political appointee. Such a move would appear to be an attempt to curtail criticism of the government by the television station.
In IPI’s opinion, the government appears to be pursuing calculated acts of harassment against the Media-Most in response to its critical reporting. These acts seem to send a clear signal to the independent media that the government will retaliate against criticism which it finds embarrassing.
Recommended Action
Send appeals to the president:
– noting His Excellency’s previous statement on how limits to freedom of speech and the media are not permissible
– urging him to do everything in his power to bring to a halt these escalating attacks on the media
– calling on His Excellency to release Gusinsky from detention forthwith, thereby upholding the democratic principle that a person is presumed innocent until proven guilty
– further reminding him that even if Gusinsky is found guilty of breaking the law, this does not justify acts of intimidation and harassment against the Media-Most group
Appeals To
APPEALS TO:
President Vladimir Putin
Federation of Russia
c/o Alexei A. Gromov
Presidential Spokesperson
Moscow, Russia
Fax: +7095 206 5173
Please copy appeals to the source if possible.
