Statement by the YABLOKO party, 08.09.2013

The Russian United Democratic Party YABLOKO is outraged by today’s decision by oligarch Alexander Mamut to dismiss Svetlana Lolayeva, editor-in-Chief of Gazeta.ru.

Demonstrative removal on a single voting day of a successful editor of one of the leading liberal political media and replacing her with an appointee of pro-regime RIA Novosti means that the oligarchs close to the government, as well as the authorities with the help of these oligarchs, give a clear signal to the public what will happened with freedom of speech in Russia after the elections.

Gazeta.ru is not the only media that authorities have been trying to put on the knees. “Clearing off” television in early 2000s from the dissenting NTV television company, the authorities in the beginning of this decade go on doing the same thing but with printed and Internet media this time. However, the important difference is that the country is not the same as it was in the beginning of 2000s. The country is waiting for changes, they are inevitable and the only question now is how they will be implemented.

Transforming objective, moderate liberal media into servile TV channels and newspapers, the government and the oligarchs close to them are leading the country towards radicalization preventing formation of a responsible opposition in the society that sees its goal in coming to power only through elections. The YABLOKO party urges the authorities to give up their direct and indirect pressure on the Russian media, stop their demonstrative dismissals of editors of the liberal media and comply with at least the present minimum level of freedom of speech in Russia.

Sergei Mitrokhin,

YABLOKO Chairman