Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2000-06-14-Speech-3-004"
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"en.20000614.1.3-004"2
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"Mr President, with regret I have to inform the House of the arrest yesterday in Moscow of Vladimir Alexandrovich Gusinsky, chief executive of the Most-Media group of television, radio and newspaper outlets.
Mr Gusinsky is a leading Russian community leader, being chairman of the Russian Jewish Congress and deputy chairman of the World Jewish Congress. This morning he is in what is known as a general purpose cell in Butyrsky prison where conditions are such that they must be left to your imagination. Mr Gusinsky's media activities were the only ones permitted to criticise Mr Putin and his government. His independent television is the only one that questions the behaviour of Russian troops in Chechnya. His programme Dolls, based on Britain's Spitting Image, satirises the President, something which supposedly causes him great irritation. His radio station Moscow Echo was selected by President Clinton a few days ago for the only substantive interview that he gave to a Russian outlet.
On 11 May Mr Gusinsky's places of work were raided by so-called tax police – men in ski masks and camouflage outfits carrying Kalashnikov rifles. There are few Russians who do not see a connection between Gusinsky's criticisms and the heavy-handed treatment now being meted out to him. Now we have this arrest and Mr Putin says he knows nothing about it.
This latest event leaves Russia teetering on the brink. Either Mr Putin backs down and releases Mr Gusinsky, or we shall have to conclude that Russia's brave attempt to establish a free press has turned out a failure and their democracy an illusion. The consequences of this will be devastating. It will mean goodbye Council of Europe, goodbye Partnership for Peace, farewell Tacis and a warm welcome to a new arms race. The European Parliament must do what it can to avert this catastrophe. I ask you, Mr President, to confer with your colleagues so that the whole range of EU-Russia relations can be investigated, debated and our influence brought to bear not least on the turbulent Mr Putin, who is putting us all in danger."@en1
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