Congressional Letter - 06.15.2000

 

"Considering the history of anti-Semitism in Russia, we are very concerned that the Russian Government's targeting of Mr. Goussinsky could signal the recurrence of political intimidation against the Russian Jewish community." 
- Representative Henry Waxman (D-CA)

Read Congressional press release about letter to President Clinton.

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Congress of the United States
Washington, DC 20515

 

June 15, 2000

The Honorable William J. Clinton
President of the United States
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue
Washington, D.C. 20500

Dear Mr. President:

We are writing to express our deep concern about the sudden arrest in Moscow of Vladimir Gusinsky, owner of Media-Most, which is one of Russia's only national independent news outlets.

Mr. Gusinsky's arrest, only weeks after masked officers of the Russian Federal Security Service carrying assault weapons raided Media-Most headquarters, is a serious escalation of the Russian Government's pattern of assaults on independent journalists and media that are critical of President Putin's administration. As you know, he was taken into custody on the evening of June 13 and is being held incommunicado at one of Moscow's most brutal prisons. While we have no knowledge of the evidence against him, we are concerned that this harsh treatment does not follow any norms of due process or respect for human rights.

Moreover, considering the history of anti-Semitism in Russia, we fear that the targeting of Mr. Gusinsky, who is President of the Russian Jewish Congress, may be a threat to the Russian Jewish community at large. We hope that these events and recent attacks by government-run media do not represent the Russian government's intent to interfere in the internal affairs of the Jewish community.

During your recent visit to Moscow, your discussions with President Putin and your appearance on Media-Most owned radio show Echo Moskvy (Echo of Moscow) underscored your personal commitment to promoting freedom of the press in Russia. We believe, therefore, that your intervention at the early stages of this crisis is important.

We request that you personally convey to President Putin U.S. concern regarding the integrity of an independent media in Russia, the safety of the Russian Jewish community, and the human rights of Mr. Gusinsky. We also request that the United States take action as a member of the Organization on Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) to invoke the special Human Dimension mechanism to require Russia to formally justify Mr. Gusinsky's arrest. We believe that the U.S. should seek cooperation from other OSCE countries on the enforcement of this mechanism. Immediate bilateral and multilateral diplomatic action will be necessary for a swift resolution of this urgent situation.

Thank you for your consideration of our interest in this matter. We look forward to your response. 

Sincerely,

Frank Pallone, Jr.
Robert Menendez
Llyod Doggett
Sherrod Brown
Mark Udall
John F. Tierney
Matt Salmon
Mark Foley
Steny H. Hoyer
Rush D. Holt
Tim Holden
Joseph M. Hoeffel
Lois Capps
Gary A. Condit
Robert T. Matsui
Sander M. Levin
Julian C. Dixon
Edward J. Markey
Joseph R. Pitts
James P. McGovern
Robert I. Wexler
James E. Rogan
Cynthia McKinney
Benjamin L. Cardin
Brad Sherman
Joseph Crowley
Shelley Berkley
Neil Abercrombie
Carolyn B. Maloney
Dana Rohrabacher
Lane Evans
Jerrold Nadler
Eliot Engel
Gary L. Ackerman
Bernard Sanders
Richard A. Gephardt
Janice D. Schakowsky
Anthony D. Weiner
Peter Deutsch
Steven R. Rothman
Grace F. Napolitano
Nancy Pelosi
Nita M. Lowey
John E. Porter
Christopher H. Smith
Howard L. Berman
Sam Gejdenson
Martin Frost
Alcee L. Hastings
Tom Lantos
Henry A. Waxman
Bob Filner