”Since Monday April 9, 2001 signatures will be collected on a daily basis (in a move initiated by the Journalists’ Union) under the slogan “For NTV and Freedom of Speech in Russia” from 6 p.m. until 10 p.m. at the Central House of Journalists in Moscow(Suvorovkiy bulv., 8A).

The declaration runs as follows: “We protest against the attempt of thestate to seize the NTV company via Gazprom. The actions of the authorities to bring down all the power of the statemachine against the only private national television company create a realthreat to the freedom of speech in Russia. The final elimination of the team of journalists at NTV will constitute an open challenge to public opinion and will serve as a signal for the bureaucracy to launch the samecampaign against regional media. We demand that the President of Russia, who has repeatedly stated his responsibilityfor all developments in the country,to intervene at last in this conflict, which isdisgracing Russia. We will not tolerate the removal of one of our basic human rights – theright to reliable and objective information”.

On April 9 Chairman of the Yabloko Association Grigory Yavlinsky,Secretary of Yabloko for the work of the faction in the State Duma Sergei Ivanenko, Secretary on Ideology Sergei Mitrokhin and Secretary on Information Policy Alexander Shishlov, puttheir signatures to the declaration.

See also:

NTV Case

Grigory Yavlinsky thinks that millions of signatures may be collected in defence of freedom of speech - Press Release, April 9, 2001