[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 146 (2000), Part 8]
[House]
[Page 10736]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



                    HUMAN RIGHTS SITUATION IN RUSSIA

  (Mr. PITTS asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. PITTS. Mr. Speaker, I also rise out of concern for the human 
rights situation in Russia.
  Yesterday, the Government of Russia took a giant step backwards in 
human rights as Vladimir Goussinsky, the CEO of Media Most, was 
arrested, imprisoned and is at present being interrogated.
  So much for freedom of speech and freedom of the press in Russia.
  Mr. Goussinsky has been the most pro-Western and independent of 
Russia's media entrepreneurs and has rallied strong support for 
democratic reforms in Russia.
  This arrest comes on the heels of the raid of Media Most offices 
several weeks ago and demonstrates how human rights, particularly 
freedom of the press, is deteriorated under the administration of 
President Putin.
  The Putin administration has taken extreme measures to control 
information. Government officials report about the ``problem'' of the 
media giving airtime and print space to views of ``terrorists.''
  Mr. Speaker, expressing political and religious views, even if it is 
in opposition to the government, is not terrorism. It is freedom.
  I urge the Russian people to speak out against the latest abuse of 
freedom by the Putin administration and call on President Clinton to 
pressure the administration to release Mr. Goussinsky.

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