Russia
Yevgenia Zubchenko
To be a reporter in Russia is practically a combat position, said Yevgenia Zubchenko in Moscow’s Novye Izvestia. Over the last 15 years, only Iraq and Algeria have been more deadly places for journalists to work. And in Russia, most of the dead weren’t simply casualties of war: They were specifically targeted for murder because of their reporting. The “climate of fear” among the press goes hand in hand with the “climate of impunity” among the perpetrators. Russian free-press advocates say the worst offenders are government officials. The Russian government simply does not pursue crimes against reporters. Of 13 journalists murdered since 2000, only three cases went to trial, and none brought a conviction. That’s why any subject of an unflattering story feels perfectly free to hire thugs to rough up the writer. For every murdered reporter, there are dozens who were beaten up, or threatened, or had their cars burned or apartments ransacked. And no one was punished. Until we have an independent judiciary, we will never have a truly free press.
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