Russian media opposed the persecution of "foreign agents" journalists

Journalist Dmitry Kolezev and his colleagues from the Russian media agreed to publish an open letter in support of journalism and demanding the Russian authorities. Today the editors of publications, including Dozhd *, Novaya Gazeta, Forbes, Meduza *, Republic, The Village, Wonderzine, Sota Vision, Stol, Romb, 7x7, Pskov Province , and the Journalists' Union and media workers published this letter. Here is its main part:

“The Russian government, using pseudo-patriotic rhetoric, today virtually destroys independent journalism. Journalists are beaten and detained at rallies, accused of high treason, subjected to heavy fines, recorded as“ unwanted ”and“ foreign agents. ”The latter for many means a de facto ban on the profession. Ours colleagues are forced either to stop working or to leave the country, and the work of large media with multimillion audiences, including Dozhd * and Meduza *, is https://newizv.ru/admin/matters/932559under threat.

A free press is an institution without which it is impossible to build a prosperous and developed society. Journalists perform an important function of public control over the government, protect the rights of citizens, promote the development of political and economic competition, and support public discussion. The destruction of free journalism will harm not only the media themselves, but also the entire country, its citizens, affect the economic and social well-being, and further complicate the dialogue between the authorities and society.

The Russian authorities today regard any criticism as a hostile act, and coverage of protests or opposition activities as an anti-government speech. This is a fundamentally wrong interpretation. Both criticism of erroneous actions and coverage of protests are the professional duty of journalists who are obliged to tell citizens the truth about what is happening in the country, to convey different points of view.

Among other things, journalists are doing important work to protect the rights of Russians. If there is no free media, to whom will the people turn, under whose windows a new landfill is being built, victims of bureaucratic rudeness, victims of domestic violence, or who do not agree with the infill development? By destroying free media, the government deprives people of the institution that helps them fight for their rights.

Opinion polls show that a significant number of Russians believe that the country is moving in the wrong direction and negatively assess the actions of the authorities. By repressing independent media, the government deprives a huge part of society of media representation. This is the path to increased social tension and a possible explosion.

In both tsarist and Soviet times, the authorities also tried to restrict freedom of speech and impede discussion in society. This did not end well for the authorities.

We in the Republic express solidarity with our colleagues, whose editorial offices have been repressed, and together with other colleagues we demand from the authorities of the Russian Federation:

1) rejection of the practice of including Russian media and their individual employees in the registers of foreign agents and undesirable organizations;

2) the repeal of the relevant laws;

3) stop beating journalists and investigate these cases;

4) stop fictitious administrative and criminal cases against journalists;

5) comply with Article 144 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation on "Obstruction of the legitimate professional activities of journalists";

6) comply with the law on mass media and other laws of the Russian Federation, which should protect the rights of journalists in a normal democratic state.

* These media are included in the register of foreign agents.

PS Meanwhile, press secretary Dmitry Peskov has already reacted to this letter, and in a rather mysterious way, saying that the Kremlin saw the appeal of media representatives about foreign agents, they do not agree with the rhetoric in it, but they consider it worthy of attention. Perhaps some indulgences will follow, but hardly before the elections.