Press Conference - 06.14.2000

 

Rep. Lantos warned that if President Putin "hides behind the phony notion that this was an independent prosecutor…and he can’t interfere," then "his credibility will be permanently shot." Putin "needs to understand that leaders in free societies are subject to criticism" and that "police states do not tolerate criticism." 

Congressional Press Conference
on Behalf of Vladimir Goussinsky

Members of Congress held a Capitol Hill press conference on June 14 to express their concerns about the June 13 Moscow arrest – on embezzlement charges – of independent media entrepreneur and Russian Jewish community leader Vladimir Goussinsky. Those participating included Representatives Tom Lantos (D-CA), Co-Chair of the Congressional Human Rights Caucus; Benjamin A. Gilman (R-NY), Chairman of the House International Relations Committee; Chris Smith (R-NJ), Chairman of the Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe (Helsinki Commission); Steny Hoyer (D-MD), Ranking Democrat on the Helsinki Commission; Joseph R. Pitts (R-PA); and Matt Salmon (R-AZ).

In the press conference, attended by several dozen journalists and other concerned individuals, Representative Tom Lantos (D-CA) called for the immediate release of Mr. Goussinsky from the notorious Soviet-era Butyrskaya Prison and for an apology from Russian President Vladimir Putin. "Russia is at the crossroads" as a democratic society, Rep. Lantos stressed, which will largely turn on issues of religious freedom and freedom of the press. "There is no room for the KGB in the 21^st century." There are two possibilities: Either President Putin is telling the truth when he disclaims prior knowledge of Mr. Goussinsky’s arrest, or he is lying. If he is telling the truth, Rep. Lantos advised, he "has to demonstrate that he is in charge and not a puppet…of powerful forces within the Kremlin." If he is lying, "then he is one of the perpetrators."

Rep. Lantos reported that he has spoken with Deputy Secretary of State Strobe Talbott (the Acting Secretary in the absence of Secretary of State Madeleine Albright) and that the Clinton administration is actively engaged on Mr. Goussinsky’s behalf, with U.S. Ambassador James Collins is "devoting full time to this issue and is working non-stop on the release of Mr. Goussinsky." Rep. Lantos has also spoken with Robert S. Strauss, former U.S. Ambassador to Russia, who has committed to canceling a forthcoming American business delegation to Russia if Mr. Goussinsky is not released. As friends of Russia, Rep. Lantos emphasized, Congress wants to see a "free and democratic Russia" and this underlies Congressional protest. He also noted this week's upcoming vote on a House Concurrent Resolution (H. Con. Res. 352), concerning the May 11 federal raid on the headquarters of Mr. Goussinsky’s Media-MOST enterprise, with the hope that President Putin "understands the gravity with which Congress and the [American] people" view these developments.

Representative Benjamin A. Gilman (R-NY) explained that "we are really here today not just to talk about Vladimir Goussinsky’s arrest, but to talk about the fate of the media in Russia – the fate of freedom of speech and democracy itself in that country." He criticized the U.S. administration for ignoring the Russian government’s "intimidation and manipulation of the media" and reported that he has asked Secretary of State Albright to appear before the International Relations Committee "to address late developments in Russia."

Representative Chris Smith (R-NJ) characterized the arrest as an "alarming and not totally surprising development." Such actions, notably last month’s raid on Media-MOST, are both "retaliation for criticism already aired" and "intimidation" to deter future criticism. Rep. Smith said that, at the forthcoming July 2000 annual session of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) in Bucharest, Romania, he would be "raising forcibly" Mr. Goussinsky’s arrest and the Russian media crackdown.

Representative Steny Hoyer (D-MD) pointed to the commitments embodied in the Helsinki Final Act, which U.S. President Gerald R. Ford signed on August 1, 1975, which promise basic human freedoms in such member states as the Soviet Union and – today – the Russian Federation and other successor states. The Goussinsky arrest is "a deplorable act by a government that appears determined to suppress voices of opposition." Recent developments "raise doubts about the new [Russian] President’s commitment to democracy, the Helsinki Final Act, and United Nations documents" upholding freedom of speech. President Putin will be judged not by his words, Rep. Hoyer warned, "but by his acts."

Rep. Hoyer pointed out that free speech is the most basic of human rights by respect for all other rights can be ensured, through "the ability to criticize the government" and "raise questions". The Putin administration should adopt strategies for responding to criticism, he urged, but "not by clamping down" on independent voices.

Representative Joseph R. Pitts (R-PA) asserted that the Russian government "took a giant step backward" with the arrest of Vladimir Goussinsky. Since President Clinton’s June 3-4 visit to Moscow, in which he admonished President Putin to ensure press freedom within the Russian Federation, Putin has clamped down even harder. If the U.S.-Russian relationship is to be stronger, President Putin must learn to trust the Russian people with freedom of information.

Representative Matt Salmon (R-AZ) offered advice to President Putin: "What you are doing rings so loudly in my ears that I cannot hear what you say." In responding to unfriendly voices, Rep. Salmon cautioned, it is "much more acceptable to say ‘no comment’ than to put them in prison." He also underscored Rep. Pitts, stating that "activities such as these harm our bilateral relationship."

Responding to a reporters’ questions, Rep. Lantos warned that if President Putin "hides behind the phony notion that this was an independent prosecutor…and he can’t interfere," then "his credibility will be permanently shot." Putin "needs to understand that leaders in free societies are subject to criticism" and that "police states do not tolerate criticism." The Russian President has a clear choice. Rep. Lantos was "concerned that the clock is being turned back," and the question is "how fast".