Letter to the
Editor: "Free Press in Russia"
by Paul J. Saunders, Nixon Center Director
Washington Post, June 15, 2000 p. A32
Igor Malashenko, first deputy chairman of the Russian firm Media-Most, is correct to express concern about new limits on freedom of the press in Russia and to call for an American response ["Speak Out for a Free Press, Mr. Clinton," op-ed, June 1].
Yet, Mr. Malashenko's argument is a little disingenuous. His statement that President Putin and top aides "have experience in the Soviet KGB or Russian FSB," while true, ignores the fact that his own firm's security service is headed by a former KGB general drawn from the senior levels of the Soviet Union's political police and includes other senior former KGB officers.
Mr. Malashenko's personal commitment to a free press in Russia is also somewhat selective. During Russia's 1996 presidential campaign, he was more than willing to allow the NTV television network--which he directed while simultaneously holding a post with the Yeltsin campaign--to undermine the Russian president's opponents, including leaders of Russia's democratic opposition. Media-Most's ruthlessness in pursuing business rivals and unfriendly politicians through its media holdings has been second to none.
Freedom of the press is essential both to Russia's development and to its relations with the United States. Moreover, the recent detention of Mr. Malashenko's boss, Vladimir Gusinsky, Tuesday on fraud charges is at best a selective application of justice. The Clinton administration and Congress should express strong concern over recent pressures on Russia's media and other disturbing developments in Russia, but they should do so with a full understanding of the true nature of the country's competing political and financial clans. We must not allow the Russians to involve America in their ugly infighting.
