H. E. Boris Yeltsin
President of Russia
Moscow
Russian Federation
Vienna, 14 February 1996
The International Press Institute (IPI) is most concerned about reports that journalists working for Russia’s independent NTV television channel have been banned from covering events at the Kremlin.
We understand that NTV, which has previously stirred the Kremlin’s displeasure with its critical reporting on the conflict in Chechnya, has been banned from entering the Kremlin because of an interview, screened on Sunday, 11 February, with Your Excellency’s former press secretary, Vyacheslav Kostikov. In the interview, Mr. Kostikov was highly critical of Russia’s leadership. According to sources at MTV, the channel has not been informed how long they will be barred from the Kremlin.
IPI, a global network of editors and media executives from newspapers, magazines, broadcasting organisations and news agencies in 85 countries, considers the move against NTV to be a form of censorship, seriously restricting the right of news media to freely gather and distribute information. We therefore urge Your Excellency to ensure that NTV’s journalists are immediately allowed to cover events at the Kremlin.
We thank you for your attention.
Yours sincerely,
Johann P. Fritz
Director