Dokument #1093110
IRB – Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada (Autor)
Since it was first aired in December 1987,
the editor-in-chief of the St. Petersburg current affairs programme
"600 Seconds" has been Aleksandr Nevzorov (ITAR-TASS 5 Oct. 1993).
The show has been banned or suspended four times since its
inception, most recently on 5 October 1993 by the head of St.
Petersburg television (ibid.). Nine days later the programme was
banned by the Russian ministry of press and information, which also
banned 17 newspapers, including Pravda and Sovietskaya
Rossiya (Reuters 15 Oct. 1993; The Ottawa Citizen 15
Oct. 1993; Libération 15 Oct. 1993).
With respect to the current status of "600
Seconds," the most recent reports currently available to the DIRB
are from November 1993. They indicate that "600 Seconds" remained
off the air and that Nevzorov was getting ready to produce a new
programme entitled "North," but it was not expected to air before
14 December 1993 (Pravda 6 Nov. 1993; Moskovskiye
Novosti 14 Nov. 1993).
Reports since June 1992 have labelled
Nevzorov as a right-wing, nationalist extremist (Izvestiya
15 Oct. 1993; Libération 15 Oct. 1993; Reuters 15
Oct. 1993; The Irish Times 26 Mar. 1993; The Times 3
Nov. 1992; The Guardian 5 June 1992). Nevzorov was a vocal
supporter of the January 1991 armed Soviet government crack-down in
Lithuania and Latvia (ITAR-TASS 5 Oct. 1993; Izvestiya 15
Oct. 1993). In November 1992, The Times reported that he was
an adherent to Pamyat's goals and policies (3 Nov. 1992).
For details on the issues and events
discussed above, as well as on a temporary suspension of "600
Seconds" in March and April 1993, please refer to the
attachments.
This response was prepared after
researching publicly accessible information currently available to
the DIRB within time constraints. This response is not, and does
not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular
claim to refugee status or asylum.
The Guardian. 5 June 1992.
Michael Kustow. "Arte of the Possible." (NEXIS)
The Irish Times. 26 March 1993.
Seamus Martin. "Poll Shows Yeltsin Gaining Support." (NEXIS)
ITAR-TASS [Moscow, in English]. 5
October 1993. "St. Petersburg TV Head Suspends '600 Seconds'
Program." (FBIS-SOV-93-192-S 6 Oct. 1993, p. 29)
Izvestiya [Moscow, in Russian].
15 October 1993. "Intellectuals Urge Banning of '600 Seconds'."
(FBIS-SOV-93-201 20 Oct. 1993, p. 59)
Libération [Paris]. 15
October 1993. Bernard Cohen. "Russie: Boris Eltsine reprend
l'information en main."
Moskovskiye Novosti [Moscow, in
Russian]. 14 November 1993. "St. Petersburg TV Deputy Chief on
Access to Air Time." (FBIS-SOV-93-217 12 Nov. 1993, p. 54)
The Ottawa Citizen. 15 October
1993. Mike Trickey. "Yeltsin Sticks With Ban on Opposition Media."
(NEXIS)
Pravda [Moscow, in Russian]. 6
November 1993. "Nevzorov Expects '600 Seconds' To Be Back on Air."
(FBIS-SOV-93-216 10 Nov. 1993, p. 47)
Reuters. 15 October 1993. John Morrison.
"Sacked Editors Vow to Fight in Courts." (NEXIS)
Times [London]. 3 November 1992.
Anne McElvoy. "Far Right Spreads Tentacles Through a Blighted
Russia." (NEXIS)
The Atlanta Journal and
Constitution. 25 March 1993. "World in Brief." (NEXIS)
BBC Summary of World Broadcasts. 2 April
1993. "Media Affairs; Aftermath of Dispute on Sacking of Aleksandr
Nevzorov." (NEXIS)
The Guardian. 5 June 1992.
Michael Kustow. "Arte of the Possible." (NEXIS)
The Irish Times. 10 April 1993.
City Edition. Seamus Martin. "Campaign Begins With Attack on
Yeltsin." (NEXIS)
. 26 March 1993. City Edition. Seamus
Martin. "Poll Shows Yeltsin Gaining Support." (NEXIS)
ITAR-TASS [Moscow, in English]. 5
October 1993. "St. Petersburg TV Head Suspends '600 Seconds'
Program." (FBIS-SOV-93-192-S 6 Oct. 1993, p. 29)
Izvestiya [Moscow, in Russian].
15 October 1993. "Intellectuals Urge Banning of '600 Seconds'
Program." (FBIS-SOV-93-201 20 Oct. 1993, pp. 59-60)
Libération [Paris]. 15
October 1993. Bernard Cohen. "Russie: Boris Eltsine reprend
l'information en main."
Moskovskiye Novosti [Moscow, in
Russian]. 14 November 1993. "St. Petersburg TV Deputy Chief on
Access to Air Time." (FBIS-SOV-93-217 12 Nov. 1993, p. 54)
The Ottawa Citizen. 15 October
1993. Final Edition. Mike Trickey. "Yeltsin Sticks With Ban on
Opposition Media." (NEXIS)
Pravda [Moscow, in Russian]. 6
November 1993. "Nevzorov Expects '600 Seconds' To Be Back on Air."
(FBIS-SOV-93-216 10 Nov. 1993, p. 47)
Radio Rossii Network [Moscow, in
Russian]. 3 April 1993. "Demonstrations Outside St. Petersburg TV
Center Reported." (FBIS-SOV-93-063 5 Apr. 1993, p. 62)
Reuters. 15 October 1993. John Morrison.
BC Cycle. "Sacked Editors Vow to Fight in Courts." (NEXIS)
Russian Press Digest. 17 April 1993.
Yevgeny Solomenko. "When the Law Hides Itself Behind the Screen."
(NEXIS)
The Times [London]. 3 November
1992. Anne McElvoy. "Far Right Spreads Tentacles Through a Blighted
Russia." (NEXIS)