III

106TH CONGRESS

2D SESSION S. CON. RES. 123

Expressing the sense of the Congress regarding manipulation of the mass

media and intimidation of the independent press in the Russian Federation, expressing support for freedom of speech and the independent

media in the Russian Federation, and calling on the President of the

United States to express his strong concern for freedom of speech and

the independent media in the Russian Federation.

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

JUNE 15, 2000

Mr. LAUTENBERG submitted the following concurrent resolution; which was

referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations

CONCURRENT RESOLUTION

Expressing the sense of the Congress regarding manipulation

of the mass media and intimidation of the independent

press in the Russian Federation, expressing support for

freedom of speech and the independent media in the

Russian Federation, and calling on the President of the

United States to express his strong concern for freedom

of speech and the independent media in the Russian

Federation.

Whereas almost all of the large printing plants, publishing

houses, and newspaper distribution companies, several

leading news agencies, and almost all of the nationwide

television frequencies and broadcasting facilities in the

Russian Federation remain under government control,
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despite the extensive privatization of state-owned enterprises in other sectors of the Russian economy;

Whereas the ‘‘Press Freedom Survey 2000’’ reported by

‘‘Freedom House’’ of Washington, DC, stated that the

approximately 2,500 regional and rural newspapers in

Russia outside of Moscow are almost completely owned

by local or provincial governments;

Whereas the Government of Russia is able to suspend or revoke broadcast and publishing licenses and apply exorbitant taxes and fees on the independent media;

Whereas, in 1999, a major television network controlled by

the Russian Government canceled the program ‘‘Top Secret’’ after it reported on alleged corruption at high levels

of the government;

Whereas, in July 1999, the Government of Russia created a

new Ministry for Press, Television and Radio Broadcasting, and Mass Communications;

Whereas, in August 1999, the editors of fourteen of Russia’s

leading news publications sent an open letter to then

Russian President Boris Yeltsin stating that high-ranking officials of the government were putting pressure on

the mass media, particularly through unwarranted raids

by tax police;

Whereas Mikhail Lesin, Minister for Press, Television and

Radio Broadcasting, and Mass Communications, stated

in October 1999 that the Russian Government would

change its policies towards the mass media so as to address ‘‘aggression’’ by the Russian press;

Whereas the Russian Federal Security Service or ‘‘FSB’’ is

reportedly implementing a technical regulation known as

‘‘SORM–2’’ by which it could reroute, in real time, all
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electronic transmissions over the Internet through FSB

offices for purposes of surveillance, a likely violation of

the Russian constitution’s provisions concerning the right

to privacy of private communications, according to

Aleksei Simonov, President of the Russian ‘‘Glasnost Defense Foundation’’, a nongovernmental human rights organization;

Whereas such surveillance under SORM–2 would allow the

Russian Federal Security Service access to passwords, financial transactions, and confidential company information, among other transmissions;

Whereas it is reported that over one hundred Russian journalists have been killed over the past decade, with few if

any of the government investigations into those murders

resulting in arrests, prosecutions, or convictions;

Whereas numerous observers of Russian politics have noted

the blatant misuse of the leading Russian television channels, controlled by the Russian Government, to undermine popular support for political rivals of those supporting the government in the run-up to parliamentary

elections held in December 1999;

Whereas it has been reported that Russian television stations

controlled by the Russian Government were used to disparage opponents of Vladimir Putin during the campaign

for the presidency in the beginning of this year, and

whereas it has been reported that political advertisements

by those candidates were routinely relegated by those stations to slots outside of prime time coverage;

Whereas manipulation of the media by the Russian Government appeared intent on portraying the Russian military
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attack on the separatist Republic of Chechnya to the

maximum political advantage of the Russian Government;

Whereas in December 1999 two correspondents for ‘‘Reuters

News Agency’’ and the ‘‘Associated Press’’ were reportedly accused of being foreign spies after reporting high

Russian casualty figures in the war in Chechnya;

Whereas the arrest in January 2000, subsequent treatment

by the Russian military, and prosecution by the Russian

Government of Andrei Babitsky, a correspondent for

Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty covering the war in

Chechnya, have constituted a violation of commitments

made by the Russian Government to foster freedom of

speech and of the press, and have reportedly constituted

a violation of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation;

Whereas in January 2000 Aleksandr Khinshtein, a reporter

for the newspaper ‘‘Moskovsky Komosomlets’’, was ordered by the Russian Federal Security Service to enter

a clinic over 100 miles from his home for a psychiatric

examination after he accused top Russian officials of illegal activities, and such detainment in psychiatric wards

was previously employed by the former Soviet regime to

stifle dissent;

Whereas the Russian newspaper ‘‘Novaya Gazeta’’ was officially warned by the Russian Ministry of the Press for its

printing of an interview with Aslan Maskhadov, the elected President of the Republic of Chechnya; an entire issue

of ‘‘Novaya Gazeta’’, including several articles alleging

massive campaign finance violations by the presidential

campaign of Vladimir Putin, was lost to unidentified

computer ‘‘hackers’’; and a journalist for ‘‘Novaya

Gazeta’’ was savagely beaten in May of this year;
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Whereas President Thomas Dine of Radio Free Europe/Radio

Liberty on March 14th, 2000, condemned the Russian

Government’s expanding efforts to intimidate the mass

media, stating that those actions threaten the chances for

democracy and rule of law in Russia;

Whereas ‘‘NTV’’, the only national independent television

station, which reaches half of Russia and is credited with

professional and balanced news programs, has frequently

broadcast news stories critical of Russian Government

policies;

Whereas on May 11, 2000, masked officers of the Russian

Federal Security Service carrying assault weapons raided

the offices of ‘‘Media-Most’’, the corporate owner of NTV

and other independent media;

Whereas the May 11th raid on Media-Most represented a

failure of recourse to normal legal mechanisms and conveyed the appearance of a politically-motivated attack on

Russian independent media;

Whereas the raid on Media-Most was carried out under the

authority of President Putin and Russian Government

ministers who have not criticized or repudiated that action;

Whereas on June 12, 2000, Vladimir Gusinsky, owner of

NTV and other leading independent media was suddenly

arrested;

Whereas President Putin claimed not to have known of the

planned arrest of Vladimir Gusinsky;

Whereas the continued functioning of an independent media

is a vital attribute of Russian democracy and an important obstacle to the return of authoritarian or totalitarian

dictatorship in Russia; and
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Whereas a free news media can exist only in an environment

that is free of state control of the news media, that is

free of any form of state censorship or official coercion

of any kind, and that is protected and guaranteed by the

rule of law: Now, therefore, be it

1 Resolved by the Senate (the House of Representatives

2 concurring), That the Congress—

3 (1) expresses its continuing, strong support for

4 freedom of speech and the independent media in the

5 Russian Federation;

6 (2) expresses its strong concern over the failure

7 of the government of the Russian Federation to pri8 vatize major segments of the Russian media, thus

9 retaining the ability of Russian officials to manipu10 late the media for political or corrupt ends;

11 (3) expresses its strong concern over the pat12 tern of Russian officials’ surveillance and physical,

13 economic, legal, and political intimidation of Russian

14 citizens and of the Russian media that has now be15 come apparent in Russia;

16 (4) expresses its strong concern over the pat17 tern of manipulation of the Russian media by Rus18 sian Government officials for political and possibly

19 corrupt purposes that has now become apparent;

20 (5) expresses profound regret and dismay at the

21 detention and continued prosecution of Radio Free
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1 Europe/Radio Liberty journalist Andrei Babitsky

2 and condemns those breaches of Russian legal proce3 dure and of Russian Government commitments to

4 the rights of Russian citizens that have reportedly

5 occurred in his detention and prosecution;

6 (6) expresses strong concern over the breaches

7 of Russian legal procedure that have reportedly oc8 curred in the course of the May 11th raid by the

9 Russian Federal Security Service on Media-Most

10 and the June 12th arrest of Vladimir Gusinsky; and

11 (7) calls on the President of the United States

12 to express to the President of the Russian Federa13 tion his strong concern for freedom of speech and

14 the independent media in the Russian Federation

15 and to emphasize the concern of the United States

16 that official pressures against the independent media

17 and the political manipulation of the state-owned

18 media in Russia are incompatible with democratic

19 norms.

20 SEC. 2. TRANSMITTAL TO SECRETARY OF STATE.

21 The Secretary of the Senate shall transmit a copy

22 of this concurrent resolution to the Secretary of State with

23 the request that it be forwarded to the President of the

24 Russian Federation.

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