Statement by YABLOKO Chairman, June 1, 2013

The YABLOKO party expresses its categorical protest in connection with the plans of the VGTRK state television and radio broadcasting corporation to drastically reduce broadcasting of the Euronews channel starting from June 1.

Instead of Euronews Muscovites and residents of the Moscow region will be able to watch only Podmoskoviye (The Moscow Region) television channel there.

Euronews will be available only on satellite channels and late at night on the Kultura (Culture) channel. It was especially cynical that Andrei Vorobyov, Acting Governor of the Moscow Region, even thanked Oleg Dobrodeyev, Director General of VGTRK, “for his willingness to make The Moscow Region channel really interesting and fascinating, so that every family would watch it every night”.

The state-owned [television and radio broadcasting] company, as well as Andrei Vorobyov, who is going to run at the gubernatorial elections [this September], do not conceal that residents of the Moscow Region will get their daily portion of sickening propaganda for [Mr.Vorobyov as] the United Russia’s candidate [at the gubernatorial elections] instead of information from an independent source.

It’s clear that all this is done so that to get an obviously weak and unpopular person to the governor’s post.

In addition, one more problem will be solved: closing a channel of objective information from the hated West which from now on will be available only as a paid channel.

The YABLOKO party considers abolishing of free broadcasting of Euronews be a crime against the freedom of speech and urges VGTRK to reverse the decision adopted apparently on a political order from the authorities.