24.12.2006 19:52 MSK
Moscow City Duma wants to limit media freedom


RUSSIA, Moscow. The Moscow City Duma (Mosgorduma) has accepted a bill which it intends to propose to the State Duma. On December 21, Mosgorduma accepted at the first reading, a project on corrections to the law "About the Media". They forbid "propagation in the media" or "computer networks” of information about the nationality of victims, offenders, suspects, and those accused of crimes".

The "United Russia" faction – a Duma majority - voted for the adoption of the document, introduced by its representative, Mosgorduma Chairman Vladimir Platonov.

According to Platonov, nationality is unverified information. According to the constitution, only citizens have the right to indicate their nationality; no one can be constrained to indicate their nationality; therefore the indication of nationality without sufficient bases can be considered as unverified information and a violation of the constitutional rights of citizens, he said.

The next step of Moscow legislators, according to Platonov, will be to demand in Constitutional Court a review of the legality of the standard of the criminal procedure code, according to which, included in information on victims or witnesses, there is a graph indicating "nationality".

A deputy from "United Russia", Igor Yeleferenko, believes that the media must not use expressions, such as "person of Caucasian nationality", or indicate what religion people belong to. Deputy from the Communist Party of the Russian Federation, Sergey Nikitin, believes that the adoption of the bill will become dangerous to freedom of speech. In the opinion of deputy Sergey Mitrokhin ("Apple - United Democrats" party), it is first necessary to forbid the indication of nationality in police protocols and summaries. He emphasized that the idea of the bill proceeds from the presumption of guilt of the press, where the free press is considered to be the source of all problems; however, the fight with nationalism must be begun not with the press, but with officials.

Deputy Ivan Novitsky ( "Apple - United Democrats") named the accepted document inefficient and even dangerous.The concept " Caucasian nationality" could be replaced with with the words " Caucasian appearance", Novitsky notes. "And if President Putin speaks about " persons of a certain nationality ", then what of his words? If a crime is committed on nationalist grounds? Unfortunately, this is no longer a rarity in our country." These were some of the questions raised by the deputy.

"In the case of adopting this standard at the federal level, i.e., the introduction of this change to the law " About the Media", this will only be a means for short-sighted officials to limit media freedom and limit the access of citizens to information... The next logical step will be the establishment of censorship in the media, and the introduction and enumeration of normal words, which are forbidden to use " believes Novitskiy.

Translated by OM Kenney
PRIMA-News Agency [2006-12-21-Rus-30]
http://www.prima-news.ru/eng/news/news/2006/12/24/37373.html