[Congressional Bills 106th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Con. Res. 339 Introduced in House (IH)]







106th CONGRESS
  2d Session
H. CON. RES. 339

 Expressing the sense of the Congress concerning recent manifestations 
of official policy directed against the independent media in Russia and 
  expressing concern for the continued functioning of the independent 
                            media in Russia.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                              May 25, 2000

  Mr. Lantos (for himself, Mr. Gilman, Mr. Bereuter, Mr. Smith of New 
Jersey, Mr. Ackerman, Mr. Salmon, Mr. Pitts, Mr. Faleomavaega, and Mr. 
 Rohrabacher) submitted the following concurrent resolution; which was 
          referred to the Committee on International Relations

_______________________________________________________________________

                         CONCURRENT RESOLUTION


 
 Expressing the sense of the Congress concerning recent manifestations 
of official policy directed against the independent media in Russia and 
  expressing concern for the continued functioning of the independent 
                            media in Russia.

Whereas on May 11 masked officers of the Russian Federal Security Service 
        carrying assault weapons raided the offices of Media/Most, Russia's 
        largest independent media group;
Whereas the raid represents a failure of recourse to normal legal mechanisms and 
        conveys the appearance of a politically motivated attack on Russia's 
        independent media;
Whereas the fragility of press freedom in Russia is indicated by other recent 
        events including the relative lack of media access by opposition 
        candidates in the March 2000 Presidential election and by the arrest and 
        prosecution of RFE/RL journalist Andrey Babitskiy;
Whereas the Media/Most raid was carried out under the authority of President 
        Putin and government ministers who have not criticized or repudiated the 
        action;
Whereas Deputy Press Minister Romanchenko has publicly and unwarrantedly 
        suggested that RFE/RL's programming is ``hostile to the [Russian] 
        State'', a statement in contradiction with values endorsed by President 
        Putin and enshrined in the Russian Constitution;
Whereas the continued functioning of an independent media is a vital attribute 
        of Russian democracy; and
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
    Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate concurring), 
That the Congress--
            (1) reaffirms the particular right and obligation of the 
        United States Congress to express its opposition to anti-
        democratic and authoritarian tendencies in countries with 
        important relationships with the United States;
            (2) condemns the May 11 Media/Most raid by the Russian 
        Federal Security Service as a breach of normal legal procedure 
        and a deliberate political attack on the independent media;
            (3) expresses profound regret and dismay at the detention 
        and continued prosecution of RFE/RL journalist Andrey Babitskiy 
        and other manifestations of official policy directed against 
        the independent media;
            (4) urges Members of Congress to use any meetings with 
        ministers and political leaders of the Russian Federation to 
        express concern for the continued functioning of the 
        independent media in Russia;
            (5) calls upon the President, the Secretary of State, and 
        other officials and agencies of the United States Government to 
        emphasize to Russian government officials our concern and 
        preoccupation that official pressures against the independent 
        media are incompatible with democratic norms; and
            (6) directs the Clerk of the House to send a copy of this 
        resolution to the Secretary of State with the request that it 
        be forwarded to the President of the Russian Federation.
                                 <all>