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Russia has a lead role in global economic affairs, as evidenced by its chairmanship of the G8 group of industrialized nations. Yet the state of Russian democracy is much weaker than its economic power. The Kremlin has a choke hold on broadcast news and aims to up the controls on print and internet journalism. Russia is one of the most dangerous countries in the world to be a reporter, in fact, 13 journalists have been murdered since President Vladimir Putin took office in 2000.
The shooting death of prominent investigative journalist Anna Politkovskaya in the lobby of her Moscow apartment building in October 2006, caused a renewed international outcry and sparked demands for Putin to address the issue of journalist safety. Initially, Putin downplayed the importance of Politkovsyaka's work, who had traveled dozens of times to war-torn Chechnya and reported on Russian government abuses there. Last month Putin finally acknowledged the need to protect journalists and vowed to do more to end the execution of opposition writers and commentators.
"The issue of journalist persecution is one of the most pressing. And we realize our degree of responsibility in this...We will do everything to protect the press corps," Putin said in a press conference last month at the Kremlin.
But Putin's promises are likely to be little consolation to most journalists, who don't trust the Russian leader as far as they can throw him.
Just before the July 2006 G8 Summit kicked off in Saint Petersburg, the Russian parliament approved a bill that expands the definition of "extremism" to include media criticism of government figures. Despite loud objections from press freedom and human rights groups, Putin signed the measure into law. And this is just one manifestation of Putin's crackdown on dissent. Months before the G8 Summit, Putin signed a law restricting the activities of NGOs operating in Russia; the legislation tightens the reins on financing, registration and operational activities for NGOs within the Russian Federation.
So even if concrete measures are taken to protect Russian journalists, it might be an empty gesture, for by that time the Russian government will have legislated away any notion of a free press
Read more about the state of the press in Russia on the Committee to Protect Journalists website.
NPR recently did a great series about modern Russia under Putin - listen to it here
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