Ufa’s picketers in protection of journalists’ rights appeal to the President of Russia

The picket in protection of the journalists’ rights has taken place in Ufa on Saturday, November 13. 13 people have taken part in it. The picket started at 13 o’clock and went on for 13 minutes, during which the picketers were standing silently with their mouths, glued with the sticky tape. In opinion of the initiators such flash-mob should demonstrate the lawlessness of Russian journalists before the tyranny of officials and criminals.

The picketers appealed to the President of Russia Dmitry Medvedev:

“We, Bashkir journalists from different editions, have grasped the aggression against our colleague Oleg Kashin, with deep anxiety. It is becoming a norm in Russia to do away with the disagreeable journalists as well as with the disagreeable editions both by the representatives of the criminal world and by the persons, vested with power.

We, journalists, support your efforts on building up strong democratic Russia and on struggle with corruption but our hands are tied, tied by our legislation, according to which any mass-media can be immediately closed for any careless word or information and any journalist can be fired off and even imprisoned. Instead of the journalist’s investigations and real help to the society Russian mass-media have to be busy with the self-censorship and as a result corruption and arbitrariness of our officials blow and the feedback between the authority and the society is finally destroyed.

M-r President! We appeal to you as the Guarantor of the Russian Constitution to initiate the legislative reforms for recovery of the situation around mass-media and to undertake all necessary steps for protection of Russian journalists” – said in the journalist’s appeal.