Russia
Slandering the President is now an "extremistPosted Apr 2 2008
In a new effort to exert media control, the Russian government has taken an anti-extremist law to new heights. The law, initially meant to curtail extremist activities by groups such as Skinheads and ultranationalists, has been transformed into a weapon used against those critical of the government. An amendment added by President Putin in July 2006 now makes slandering a politician an extremist act. During two weeks in January, there were two new victims of this amendment.
According to the Chicago Tribune, Voice of Beslan, a group of mothers and survivors from the Beslan school siege in 2004, has become a target under this amendment. The group asserts that the government greatly mishandled the siege, with their troops causing further mortality than necessary. Furthermore, the group has asked the United States to conduct an independent investigation into the siege. Magomed Aushev, acting city prosecutor in Nazran, has charged Voice of Beslan with extremism under this new law based on their complaint.
In the northeastern Russian city of Vladimir, prosecutors have also opened a case against TV-6, a local TV station, for using a slang of President Putin's name, according to IFEX. On Nov. 30 of last year, reporter Sergei Golovinov used the word “Putting,” which plays upon the Russian word for rally, 'mitting,' and called the President's supporters Putinists. A local politician filled a complaint with the town's regional prosecutor's office. In follow up research, Nizhny Novogrod Linguistic University, a state run institution, found the words to be “insulting” to the President. Golovinov said these terms are in common use by the public and the media.