[Congressional Bills 106th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Con. Res. 352 Introduced in House (IH)]







106th CONGRESS
  2d Session
H. CON. RES. 352

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 HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             June 14, 2000

   Mr. Gilman (for himself, Mr. Lantos, and Mr. Smith of New Jersey) 
 submitted the following concurrent resolution; which was referred to 
                the Committee on International 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, 
        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 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 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 Komsomolets'', 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;
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
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) expresses its continuing, strong support for freedom of 
        speech and the independent media in the Russian Federation;
            (2) expresses its strong concern over the failure of the 
        government of the Russian Federation to privatize major 
        segments of the Russian media, thus retaining the ability of 
        Russian officials to manipulate the media for political or 
        corrupt ends;
            (3) expresses its strong concern over the pattern of 
        Russian officials' surveillance and physical, economic, legal, 
        and political intimidation of Russian citizens and of the 
        Russian media that has now become apparent in Russia;
            (4) expresses its strong concern over the pattern of 
        manipulation of the Russian media by Russian Government 
        officials for political and possibly corrupt purposes that has 
        now become apparent;
            (5) expresses profound regret and dismay at the detention 
        and continued prosecution of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty 
        journalist Andrei Babitsky and condemns those breaches of 
        Russian legal procedure and of Russian Government commitments 
        to the rights of Russian citizens that have reportedly occurred 
        in his detention and prosecution;
            (6) expresses strong concern over the breaches of Russian 
        legal procedure that have reportedly occurred in the course of 
        the May 11th raid by the Russian Federal Security Service on 
        Media-Most and the June 12th arrest of Vladimir Gusinsky; and
            (7) calls on the President of the United States to express 
        to the President of the Russian Federation his strong concern 
        for freedom of speech and the independent media in the Russian 
        Federation and to emphasize the concern of the United States 
        that official pressures against the independent media and the 
        political manipulation of the state-owned media in Russia are 
        incompatible with democratic norms.

SEC. 2. TRANSMITTAL TO SECRETARY OF STATE.

    The Clerk of the House of Representatives shall transmit 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>