Washington Post - 01.23.2002

 

The Washington Post

Russian Lawmakers Decry Shutdown of TV Station

Kremlin Accused of Trying to Control Nation's Media

By Sharon LaFraniere

MOSCOW, Jan. 22 -- Several leading Russian legislators today condemned the government's decision to take the nation's largest independent television station off the air, saying the move shows the Kremlin has resolved to control the national media.

But press minister Mikhail Lesin defended the closure of TV-6 and blamed its director for backing out of an agreement that could have allowed the station to continue broadcasting. Lesin held out hope that the station could get back on the air under a temporary permit.

The affair involves many of the same people who took part in last year's battle over the independent network NTV, but only a fraction of the drama. Political observers said it demonstrated anew that President Vladimir Putin intends to strip two well-known business tycoons, Vladimir Gusinsky and Boris Berezovsky, of any influence over news coverage in Russia.

The Kremlin has publicly accused both men of trying to dictate policy through their media outlets. The tycoons have countered that Putin is trying to silence criticism. Gusinsky faces criminal charges and Berezovsky is wanted for questioning; both have denounced the probes as politically motivated and now live abroad. Berezovsky owns 75 percent of TV-6, and allowed Gusinsky and journalists from NTV to manage it after Gusinsky lost control of NTV last year to the natural gas monopoly, Gazprom.

The legislators said the TV-6 case has brought lasting damage to the principles of a free press, and to Russian viewers whose only national television news today came from networks controlled directly or indirectly by the government.

Vladimir Lukin, vice speaker of the lower house of parliament, the State Duma, and a leader of the Yabloko party, said the ministry's action reminded him of Soviet times. For the first time since Leonid Brezhnev was Soviet leader, Lukin said he felt "ashamed of my country. I wish our mass media could be free to express their opinion."

Boris Nemtsov, who heads the Union of Right Forces party, said: "Putin was fighting with Berezovsky, but it was the TV viewers and journalists that fell victim. A noble cause of fighting against an oligarch ended in an ugly thing." He called the station's closure "a gross political mistake."

Human rights campaigner and lawmaker Sergei Kovalyov said in a radio interview that the decision to close the station was made at the highest levels of government. "This is a political decision of a top authority," he said. "The decision to build controlled democracy has been announced. What does it mean? I cannot think of anything else in connection with controlled democracy but controlled press and controlled court."

In Washington, the State Department criticized the closure of TV-6. "We would continue to believe that development and protection of an independent media are essential for Russia's political and economic development," said Richard A. Boucher, the State Department spokesman. "Freedom of the press and promotion of the rule of law are best served by allowing TV-6 to remain on the air. And that continues to be our position, despite the new developments."

TV-6's legal troubles began last year, soon after the fight over NTV ended. TV-6 absorbed much of NTV's professional news team, including well-known anchor and commentator Yevgeny Kiselyov, who became director.

But TV-6 soon came under pressure, which critics say was inspired by the Kremlin. A pension-fund unit of Lukoil, a partially state-controlled oil giant, owned 15 percent of TV-6. The pension fund sued under an obscure provision of the law that allowed a shareholder to liquidate a Russian company if its net worth is below a certain level. This provision of the law was repealed, and expired on Jan. 1.

However, on Jan. 11, an appeals court agreed with the Lukoil pension fund and ordered TV-6 to be liquidated. Putin said afterward the state could not intervene. The staff of TV-6 had hopes of saving the station and considered separating itself from Berezovsky. At one point, staff members offered to give up the station's license as part of a plan to transfer it from Berezovsky's control to the journalists.

But Monday, Kiselyov took back that offer, saying he didn't have the authority to make it. Two hours later, court bailiffs showed up at the station, according to a spokesman for TV-6. At midnight the power was cut off and the channel went dark until the press ministry arranged for sports programming from the state-controlled network at 7 a.m.

Lesin, the press minister, criticized the station's managers for suddenly changing their stance. He denied any government involvement in a court order to close TV-6, saying the timing of the order was purely a coincidence. He said the station's journalists will be eligible to bid for the broadcast license when the state auctions it off in late March.

But Kiselyov said he has little hope of winning. He said government authorities, while publicly voicing support for independent media, have already hinted that they have someone to replace Berezovsky as an investor in TV-6.

"I think the authorities have shown once again that they have absolutely one task, and that is to shut our mouth," he said.