H.E. Vladimir Putin
President
The Kremlin
Moscow
Russia
Fax: + 7 095 206 51 73
Vienna, 3 October 2003
Your Excellency,
The International Press Institute (IPI), the global network of editors, media executives, and leading journalists, is concerned at the disturbing and untenable situation in which the oldest Russian magazine Novoye Vremye (“New Times”) has found itself.
According to information provided to IPI, the editorial offices of the magazine were recently occupied by armed individuals wearing camouflage. The individuals described themselves as managers of a company called Primex Ltd. and claimed they are the new owners of the building housing Novoye Vremye. On 28 September, guards tried to evict the magazine’s staff by force but failed because members of the media and Duma deputies intervened.
The legal claims of Primex Ltd. are vigorously denied by Novoye Vremye, which has appealed to the courts. Press Minister, Mikhail Lesin expressed his “serious concern” at the developments and said that the dispute should not “go beyond the framework of the law.” However, since this statement, nothing has been done by the authorities to restore law and order.
Although questions of title and ownership should rightly be heard before the courts, IPI is deeply troubled by the situation at Novoye Vremye, which is one of the most reputable Russian publications and known throughout the world.
IPI is concerned at the way in which Primex Ltd. has conducted itself. The assertion of a legal right is a matter for the courts to resolve. Indeed, it is only after a legal decision has been made that one or other of the parties may go forward to enforce the court’s judgment. However, in this particular case, it would appear that Primex Ltd. has acted extra-judicially by attempting to pressure Novoye Vremye through the use of armed security guards and by seeking to control the staff’s movements. These tactics have nothing to do with law and order; they compromise the image of Russia and reinforce the notion that “bandit capitalism” is present in the country.
With the above in mind, IPI calls on Your Excellency to ensure that the situation at Novoye Vremye is resolved both expeditiously and within the laws of Russia, thus ensuring that the magazine is allowed to continue printing without fear of harassment or intimidation.
We thank you for your attention.
Yours sincerely,
Johann P. Fritz
Director
Background Note:
Russia was placed on the IPI Watch List on 23 June 2000. In its Open Letter to President Putin IPI said, “Despite initial comments by Your Excellency that freedom of the press would be encouraged, IPI believes that Your Excellency’s words have not been matched by firm deeds. IPI is particularly disturbed by the apparent sea change that has occurred in the new Russian government’s approach to the media. While – to some extent – a climate of openness previously existed in Russia this has now all but vanished. The deterioration in press freedom has manifested itself in a series of disturbing incidents including threats to block the renewal of licenses, the government’s attempts to replace independent journalists with obedient political appointees and plans to require licensing of newspapers. When viewed as a unified whole, these incidents appear to be calculated acts of intimidation designed to silence critical reporting”.
