Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2002-02-07-Speech-4-187"
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"en.20020207.10.4-187"2
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"Thank you, Mr President, in my country, we often say that it is beyond anyone’s comprehension. I was very much reminded of this phrase during a recent incident at the Russian Kultura channel. In a programme, the presenter recommended a recently published book on the position of intellectuals under the Stalin regime. He had deduced very subtly that the publishers must have thought the time had come to reflect on almost forgotten survival techniques. This is a discerning way of ridiculing the Kremlin’s authoritarian press policy.
However, the penniless directors at TV-6 have little to smile about these days. Last month, their channel was taken off the air by judicial order. In that way, the last, national, private channel, with its own independent reporting, disappeared in Russia. More than half of the Russian population were able to receive the TV-6 programmes. From now on, these citizens will have to rely on the two public channels, ORT and RTR, to provide them with information. In short, the forced closure of TV-6 certainly spells a decline in the Russian press landscape. The present draft resolution is therefore right to point this out.
Has TV-6’s fate now been sealed for ever? No, for, next month, the Ministry of Press Affairs will decide on a new licence for Channel 6. There is therefore a chance of this independent broadcasting channel being given a new lease of life. Interestingly enough, the day before yesterday, it received public backing for this from the right and the left political opposition camps in the Russian Federation.
This option is definitely not the Kremlin’s preferred choice. The leaders in Moscow much prefer the idea of turning Channel 6 into a special sports channel. In their view, this also fits in perfectly with Putin’s new campaign for national fitness. Whether watching television for hours will indeed produce a healthier nation is very much to be doubted. With a view to the desired de-politicisation of society, however, it is an effective instrument.
This draft resolution also makes reference to the case against the military journalist Grigori Pasko – with very good reason. The obvious link between his case and the closure of TV-6 is that both rest upon a shaky legal foundation, something which is not compatible with the fundamental principle of the Rule of Law in the Russian Federation. This is one of President Putin’s basic principles, which we gladly share with him. Given the expressions of endorsement conveyed by Russian society to Grigori Pasko and the editors of TV-6, there are surprisingly many more like-minded Russians. This sober resolution is a welcome affirmation for them and is designed to ensure that justice prevails for Gregori Pasko personally and that press freedom in general is protected in Russia."@en1
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