11.03.2008 - Source: US Department of State

Federal Ministry of Internal Affairs continued to control media access to area of Chechen conflict; no known detentions of reporters during 2007 ("Country Report on Human Rights Practices 2007") [ID 22613]

"Federal Ministry of Internal Affairs continued to control media access to area of Chechen conflict; no known detentions of reporters during 2007 The federal Ministry of Internal Affairs continued to control media access to the area of the Chechen conflict. Foreign journalists are required to have government accreditation to enter Chechnya, but even those with proper documents are sometimes refused access. During 2006 several Russian and foreign journalists were detained while on assignment in the North Caucasus region, but there were no known detentions of reporters in Chechnya during the year. In September 2006 police detained British reporters with the CMI independent news agency and Fatima Tlisova, editor-in-chief of the Regnum news agency's North Caucasian branch, in the city of Nalchik. The British journalists intended to interview Tlisova but were detained for the entire day and prevented from doing so. The reason given for the detention was that the reporters had strayed into an off-limits area.

In November 2006 Moscow journalist Boris Stomakhin, editor of the monthly Radikalnaya Politka newspaper, was sentenced to five years in prison on charges of inciting ethnic hatred for violent and provocative writings. Human rights activists asserted that the severity of the sentence was unprecedented.

In July Kommersant Vlast published an interview with exiled Chechen rebel leader Akhmed Zakayev. RosOkranKultura, the agency within the Ministry of Culture that oversees the mass media, asked the general prosecutor's office to investigate whether the publication violated the law and warned the magazine against violating the law in the future.

In June the government reinstated accreditation to the U.S.-based ABC television network, and reportedly in October ABC assigned a Moscow correspondent. The government withdrew ABC's accreditation in 2005 after ABC News broadcast an interview with Chechen terrorist Shamil Basayev."

Document(s): Open document

06.2007 - Source: Freedom House

Military continues to impose severe restrictions on Russian and foreign journalists’ access to Chechnya; murder of Politkovskaya highlighted intimidation faced by journalists ("Freedom in the World 2007") [ID 20516]

"The military continues to impose severe restrictions on Russian and foreign journalists’ access to the restive republic of Chechnya, issuing accreditation primarily to those of proven loyalty to the government. The October 2006 murder of well-known investigative reporter Anna Politkovskaya, who had covered Chechnya extensively, highlighted the intimidation faced by many Russian journalists, in addition to threats of libel suits and other pressures."

Document(s): Open document

06.2007 - Source: Freedom House

Kadyrov is in control of all local broadcast and most print media; journalists’ access to widening Caucasus conflict area is severely restricted ("Freedom in the World 2007") [ID 20658]

"Information in Chechnya is tightly managed. Kadyrov’s financial resources allow him to control all local broadcast and most print media, which provide extensive coverage of his activities. There are three licensed television broadcasters, whose content is pro-government. Russian state-run television and radio continue to broadcast in Chechnya, although much of the population remains without electricity. The rebel movement operates a website with reports about the conflict and other news from its perspective. The October 2006 Moscow murder of Politkovskaya, a special correspondent for Moscow-based Novaya Gazeta, silenced one of the few remaining journalists brave enough to travel in Chechnya without official escorts and collect evidence of abuses by Russian troops and the pro-Moscow Chechen government. Kadyrov had publicly expressed his hatred of her.
The Russian military imposes severe restrictions on journalists’ access to the widening Caucasus conflict area, issuing accreditation primarily to those of proven loyalty to the Russian government. Few foreign reporters are allowed into Chechnya, and when they are granted entry, journalists covering the conflict must be accompanied at all times by military officials. Because of the devastating effects of the war, including damaged infrastructure, internet usage is negligible."

Document(s): Open document

06.03.2007 - Source: US Department of State

Media access to area of conflict continued to be controlled by Interior Ministry; several foreign reporters detained in 2006 ("Country Report on Human Rights Practices 2006") [ID 19308]

"The federal Ministry of Internal Affairs continued to control media access to the area of the Chechen conflict. On September 10, police detained British reporters with the CMI independent news agency and Fatima Tlisova, editor-in-chief of the Regnum news agency's North Caucasian branch in the city of Nalchik. The British journalists intended to interview Tlisova but were detained for the entire day and prevented from doing so. The reason given for the detention was that the reporters had strayed into an off-limits area.

 On November 24, reporters from Austria's ORF television channel were detained for more than six hours at a checkpoint in Chechnya by FSB officers. The authorities searched the journalists and confiscated video recordings, a satellite phone, and three special accreditation certificates allowing the journalists to work in a zone of antiterrorist operations.

On December 14, Deutsche Welle journalist Kristof Wanner was detained by authorities when he entered a zone of antiterrorist operations in Chechnya to record video for a report on a German NGO. He did not have the proper accreditation certificate and the authorities ordered his expulsion from the Chechen Republic.

In March Dagestani police and FSB officers detained freelance reporter Kelly McEvers in Khasavyurt. McEvers, who was doing research on Islamic extremism but lacked the proper accreditation, was questioned for 10 hours and released, only to be again detained for several hours upon arriving in Dagestan's capital, Makhachkala. McEvers had been warned by authorities previously not to travel in the area without proper accreditation but failed to heed the warning. "

Document(s): Open document

06.09.2006 - Source: Freedom House

Russian state-run television and radio continue to broadcast in Chechnya, all other broadcast and most print media controlled by Alkhanov’s administration ("The Worst of the Worst: The World's Most Repressive Societies 2006") [ID 17256]

"The disruptive effects of the war continue to severely hinder news production and the free flow of information. Russian state-run television and radio continue to broadcast in Chechnya, although much of the population remains without electricity. Alkhanov’s administration effectively controls all other broadcast and most print media, which predominantly reflect official viewpoints. There are three licensed television broadcasters, whose content is pro-regime. The Chechen rebel government operates a website with reports about the conflict and other news from its perspective. The editors of an independent weekly, Groznensky Rabochy, left Chechnya in 1999. The paper is now edited in Moscow and has limited distribution in Chechnya owing to increased government restrictions on media coverage of the conflict."

Document(s): Open document

06.09.2006 - Source: Freedom House

Accreditation for journalists issued primarily to those of proven loyalty to Russian government; few foreign reporters allowed to Chechnya, and only when accompanied by military officials ("The Worst of the Worst: The World's Most Repressive Societies 2006") [ID 17257]

"The Russian military imposes severe restrictions on journalists’ access to the widening Chechen war zone, issuing accreditation primarily to those of proven loyalty to the Russian government. Few foreign reporters are allowed into the breakaway republic, and when they are allowed entry, journalists covering the war must be accompanied at all times by military officials. Russian authorities renounced accreditation of the ABC television bureau in Moscow in July 2005 after the network aired an interview with the notorious warlord Shamil Basayev. Due to the devastating effects of the war, including damaged infrastructure, internet usage is negligible."

Document(s): Open document

11.2005 - Source: International Federation for Human Rights

Infrastructural problems impede development of real media market ("In a Climate of Fear; "Political Process" and Parliamentary Elections in Chechnya (IHF, FIDH, NHC, Demos, Memorial)") [#39859],  [ID 16138]

"The material situation in Chechnya is very difficult: buildings and roads have been destroyed by war, and the reconstruction work has so far not had much of an impact. Apart from problems relating to inadequate offices, lack of computer equipment, and frequent power cuts, all the media representatives cited problems with infrastructure, such as difficulties in distributing newspapers and transmitting to the mountainous regions of Chechnya. The lack of an effective distribution network has impeded the development of a real media market in the republic. Even the most widely read of the non-state local papers have a circulation of less than 5000, and are dependent on sponsors or grants in order to survive. Other reasons for the decrease in circulation for the local print media are poverty and migration, both consequences of a decade of war."

Document(s): Open document

11.2005 - Source: International Federation for Human Rights

According to media representatives, owners or sponsors influence editorial line and make independant reporting difficult ("In a Climate of Fear; "Political Process" and Parliamentary Elections in Chechnya (IHF, FIDH, NHC, Demos, Memorial)") [#39859],  [ID 16139]

"Representatives of three of the four media indicated that the owners or chief sponsors influenced the editorial line of the media in a way that made them less independent in their reporting. A journalist working for a state media agency put it like this: “the state policy dictates reporting, just as in the time of [former elected President Aslan] Maskhadov. Today we’re allowed to report critically on various social issues, but we must avoid the ‘ugly issues’.” By ‘ugly issues’ she meant human rights abuses, corruption and the problem of impunity. Representatives of the non-state media claimed that their main sponsors, who were independent businessmen, also followed this line. The private owners and main sponsors are independent only to the degree that they will not challenge the authorities directly."

Document(s): Open document

11.2005 - Source: International Federation for Human Rights

Self-censorship wide-spread pracitce among media representatives out of fear of authorities/security forces ("In a Climate of Fear; "Political Process" and Parliamentary Elections in Chechnya (IHF, FIDH, NHC, Demos, Memorial)") [#39859],  [ID 16140]

"All media representatives reported a substantial degree of self-censorship as a consequence of internal pressure (from editors/owners) and from external pressure (fear of the authorities/security forces). One editor asked: “How can we call the bandits by name when they sit at the table of [President] Putin?” referring to Chechen vice-premier Ramzan Kadyrov, who many people in Chechnya associate with a number of crimes ranging from killings, disappearances, torture, hostage taking, illegal detention, extortion, and corruption. There was a widespread reluctance toward reporting about state officials’ association with crimes, due to the fear of repercussions against the involved media and the individual reporters. “The problem is that the courts and prosecutor’s offices will not respond to any complaints from us,” the newspaper editor added, pointing to what he perceived to be a complete lack of legal remedies to protect citizens and institutions from state persecution. As a consequence several of the journalists described ways of writing “between” the lines in order to report on issues that are seen as too dangerous or off-limits, such as corruption, but conceded that for the most part they did not touch the ‘ugly issues’. An a editor in the State TV described how her journalists had been threatened by armed men in camouflage uniforms, presumably state security servicemen, when they tried to cover illicit appropriation of building materials from houses damaged during the bombing of Grozny in 1999 and 2000. Allegedly, state bodies where involved in the misappropriation of public and private property, and the journalists were not allowed to film the relevant buildings or report on the issue. When asked whether the situation was the same today, i.e. whether the security services still threatened and intimidated journalists, she answered, in typical, convoluted Grozny fashion, that: “today there are no more bricks left to steal.”"

Document(s): Open document

08.2005 - Source: Freedom House

Severe restrictions on journalists' access to Chechnya in 2004 ("Freedom in the World 2005") [#41619],  [ID 16141]

"The Russian military imposes severe restrictions on journalists' access to the widening Chechen war zone, issuing accreditation primarily to those of proven loyalty to the Russian government. Few foreign reporters are allowed into the breakaway republic, and when they are allowed entry, access is restricted by military and police authorities, as journalists covering the war must be accompanied at all times by military officials. In 2004, Russian and Georgian journalists who traveled to the region to cover the aftermath of the siege at Beslan appear to have been drugged, presumably by Russian authorities. One Russian journalist employed by U.S.-funded Radio Liberty was detained by Russian authorities and prevented from covering the siege."

Document(s): Open document

08.2005 - Source: Freedom House

Effects of war severly hinder news production and free flow of information; severe restrictions on journalists' access to warzone ("Freedom in the World 2005") [#41619],  [ID 16142]

"The disruptive effects of the war continue to severely hinder news production and the free flow of information. Russian state-run television and radio continue to broadcast in Chechnya, although much of the population remains without electricity. Alkhanov's administration effectively controls all other broadcast and most print media, which predominantly reflect official viewpoints. There are three licensed television broadcasters, whose content is pro-regime. The Chechen rebel government operates a Web site with reports about the conflict and other news from its perspective. The editors of an independent weekly, Groznensky Rabochy, left Chechnya in 1999. The paper is now edited in Moscow and has limited distribution in Chechnya amid increased government restrictions on media coverage of the conflict. The paper's editor reports that there is widespread self-censorship by reporters who fear violent reprisals from rebels and pro-government forces. The Russian military imposes severe restrictions on journalists' access to the widening Chechen war zone, issuing accreditation primarily to those of proven loyalty to the Russian government. Few foreign reporters are allowed into the breakaway republic, and when they are allowed entry, access is restricted by military and police authorities, as journalists covering the war must be accompanied at all times by military officials. In 2004, Russian and Georgian journalists who traveled to the region to cover the aftermath of the siege at Beslan appear to have been drugged, presumably by Russian authorities. One Russian journalist employed by U.S.-funded Radio Liberty was detained by Russian authorities and prevented from covering the siege."

Document(s): Open document