Russia will have a future only with freedom of media, says OSCE media representative

VIENNA, 17 January 2002 - The events surrounding one of the Russian Federation's main private television companies, TV-6, continue to be of great concern to the OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, Mr. Freimut Duve.

The decision of the Supreme Federal Arbitration Court Presidium in Moscow to proceed with the liquidation of TV-6 is unfortunate, and the Representative would hope that the resolution of this complicated case ultimately will not deprive Russian viewers of the sole independent television channel with a national reach.

While appreciating the efforts of the Russian leadership to improve ties between the Russian Federation and the West, the Representative says he is "very, very nervous" about actions such as those affecting TV-6 which give the appearance of reducing media freedom which is so needed especially in a time of terror. The Russian Federation, the largest country in the world, with enormous economic and ecological potential as well as problems, must, in Freimut Duve's opinion, do all it can to nurture a viable, independently-owned media. It is clearly old thinking to believe that Russian Federation can save its future by keeping the professional media down.

President Putin has stated publicly that freedom of the media is necessary for the democratic development of his country and that financially secure media groups, free from control of both the state and big business will be the future guarantee of Russian media freedom. The Representative on Freedom of Media greatly hopes that the actions surrounding the future of independently-owned TV-6 will be consistent with the words of the Russian president.