Helsinki Commission to Hold Briefing on State of Russian Media

WASHINGTON - Senator Benjamin L. Cardin (D-MD), Chairman of the Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe (U.S. Helsinki Commission), and Co-Chairman Congressman Alcee L. Hastings (D-FL) will hold a briefing:

"Violence and Impunity: Life in a Russian Newsroom"

Tuesday, November 3, 2009

11:00 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.

1539 Longworth House Office Building

For nearly a decade, Russia's once-vibrant independent media has lost ground to an increasingly authoritarian state. Many of Russia's most promising journalists suffer routine harassment, or worse. The murders of Igor Domnikov, Anna Politkovskaya and Anastasia Baburina underscore what has become an environment of fear and intimidation. This muzzling of the press is a clear violation of Russia's international commitments. The inability of the media to play its important role in Russia is a threat to democracy with negative implications for U.S.-Russia relations. This briefing will offer a rare chance to hear from top independent Russian journalists and a former senior Russian government official on Russia's backsliding on press freedoms in recent years.

Panelists will include:

Dmitry Muratov, Editor of Novaya Gazeta, an independent newspaper, whose reporters have been killed while investigating government corruption and human rights violations

Maxim Trudolyubov, Op-Ed Editor of Vedomosti, a Russian business daily

Grigory Shvedov, Chief Editor of The Caucasian Knot

Vladimir Milov, Former senior Russian government official and co-founder of the Russian Solidarity democratic opposition movement with Boris Nemtsov and Garry Kasparov