How to Address Human right in Russia ( freedom of expression)

Freedom of Expression in Russia

As much as the freedom of expression is a right in most if not all countries, the enjoyment of this right has been very limited in Russia especially for the critics of the government. Freedom of information in Russia has been of concern to many human rights activists. Russia violates people’s human right to freedom of information and expression by controlling the media, by jailing dissenters, and by killing journalists who write or report anything that is against the government or Putin.

Russia controls the media by controlling the internet, television and the newspapers. There is widespread self-censorship in the media. Those who give views that are unwelcome but the officials and authorities in the government quickly get pressured by the state or private individuals that have links to the government. Satellite and cable channels are trying to avoid this pressure and most of them are remaining apolitical and are choosing to focus more on entertainment. The National TV and various other mainstream media are under the control of the Russian government and are used to speak ill of opposition political leaders.

New legislation was passed in Russia that stifles freedom of expression by controlling the media.

Print and broadcast media are increasingly closed if they allow views that are critical of the government or Putin.

Most people turn to the internet to express their views or get information. However, even this platform came under the control of the government. According to Amnesty International various laws were passed in the country that gave power to the government to restrict the information that was being posted on the internet and how activities were being organized on the Internet (Amnesty International, 2014). So Russia violates its people’s human right to express themselves and know what is going on in the world around them.

Another way that Russia violates people’s freedom of expression and information is by jailing and even killing opposition leaders and dissenters. Since Putin took office, the opposition has been under the government’s attack. People who think to oppose Putin is either sentenced to a long jail term or assassinated. Some opposition leaders have been killed. Among them is Alexander Litvinenko who was a former officer of the Russian secret police, and he had been poisoned with a radioactive substance in 2006. Natalia Estemirova was one of the leading human rights defenders in Russia. She investigated cases of grave human rights violations in Chechnya. In 2009, she was murdered.

(Sky News, 2015). Many of the people in opposition have chosen not to protest but rather to leave Russia or just ignore what is happening and move on with their lives.

Not only does Russian violate people’s human right to expression by killing dissidents but Russia also controls the freedom of expression in the country by assassinating journalists who write or report anything that is against the government and the presidency of Putin. Most of the journalist who is known to air the views that are against the government are harassed, assaulted and even assassinated. A good example is that of Ann Politkovskaya who had written articles highly critical of Putin was killed in 2006 near her apartment (Amnesty International, 2014). Data collected has indicated that about 25 journalists in Russia have been assassinated since Putin took over the office in 2000. This has made the journalists to avoid saying anything that will be considered to be against the government and Putin as president.

References

Amnesty International (2014). Violation of The Right To Freedom of Expression, Association And Assembly In Russia. Retrieved from