Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
08STATE94532
2008-09-03 21:41:00
UNCLASSIFIED
Secretary of State
Cable title:
OSCE PERMANENT COUNCIL: KILLING OF JOURNALIST IN
how-toVZCZCXRO4710 RR RUEHAST RUEHFL RUEHLA RUEHMRE RUEHPOD RUEHROV RUEHSR DE RUEHC #4532 2472143 ZNR UUUUU ZZH R 032141Z SEP 08 FM SECSTATE WASHDC TO RUEHVEN/USMISSION USOSCE 3311 INFO ORG FOR SECURITY CO OP IN EUR COLLECTIVE
UNCLAS STATE 094532
SIPDIS
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PGOV OSCE PREL PHUM RU
SUBJECT: OSCE PERMANENT COUNCIL: KILLING OF JOURNALIST IN
INGUSHETIA
Post is authorized to present the following statement at the
September 4 Permanent Council meeting in Vienna.
Begin text:
Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
The United States is seriously disturbed the murder of Ingush
journalist Magomed Yevloyev on August 31 while in police
custody. The website Yevloyev founded is an important
opposition news source in the region. The OSCE
Representative on Freedom of the Media, Miklos Haraszti, has
spelled out what this means, and we quote from the statement
he released about the killing: "Yevloyev's death is the
culmination of an orchestrated campaign by the authorities of
Ingushetia to silence the only critical voice in the region.
Similarly to the 2006 murder of Anna Politkovskaya, this
assassination represents a further deterioration of media
freedom in Russia." End of quote. Indeed, according to
Reporters without Borders, 23 media professionals in the
Russian Federation have been murdered since the year 2000.
This is combined with what human rights groups report as an
increase in extrajudicial killings in Ingushetiya that have
created a climate of fear and impunity. This most recent
killing reminds us that of the many murders of journalists in
Russia, including those of Anna Politkovskaya and Paul
Klebnikov, few have been solved.
In the current case, Reporters without Borders has noted that
the explanations given by the Ingush authorities of the
circumstances of Yevloyev's death make no sense. We agree.
Press reports indicate that outrage caused angry mourners to
demonstrate against local authorities at his funeral this
past Monday and that local authorities broke up the
demonstration.
All OSCE participating States have committed themselves to
upholding media freedom and freedom of expression. We were
encouraged by President Medvedev's June 2008 address in
Berlin in which he reaffirmed the Russian Federation's pledge
to uphold such commitments when he stated, "I fully agree
that media freedom needs to be protected, that this
protection needs to be enshrined in the law" and cited the
need to protect all media in Russia from "administrative
pressures at all levels." Furthermore, he pledged "all cases
of criminal attempts to kill or injure journalists" in Russia
"will be fully investigated."
We urge President Medvedev to fulfill these pledges in line
with Russia's OSCE media freedom and freedom of expression
commitments and call upon the Russian Federation to promptly
and transparently investigate this killing, to ensure that
those responsible are punished.
We urge OSCE participating States to join us in expressing
their shock and outrage about this murder and in calling on
the Government of Russia to take immediate steps to uphold
their OSCE commitments.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
RICE
SIPDIS
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PGOV OSCE PREL PHUM RU
SUBJECT: OSCE PERMANENT COUNCIL: KILLING OF JOURNALIST IN
INGUSHETIA
Post is authorized to present the following statement at the
September 4 Permanent Council meeting in Vienna.
Begin text:
Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
The United States is seriously disturbed the murder of Ingush
journalist Magomed Yevloyev on August 31 while in police
custody. The website Yevloyev founded is an important
opposition news source in the region. The OSCE
Representative on Freedom of the Media, Miklos Haraszti, has
spelled out what this means, and we quote from the statement
he released about the killing: "Yevloyev's death is the
culmination of an orchestrated campaign by the authorities of
Ingushetia to silence the only critical voice in the region.
Similarly to the 2006 murder of Anna Politkovskaya, this
assassination represents a further deterioration of media
freedom in Russia." End of quote. Indeed, according to
Reporters without Borders, 23 media professionals in the
Russian Federation have been murdered since the year 2000.
This is combined with what human rights groups report as an
increase in extrajudicial killings in Ingushetiya that have
created a climate of fear and impunity. This most recent
killing reminds us that of the many murders of journalists in
Russia, including those of Anna Politkovskaya and Paul
Klebnikov, few have been solved.
In the current case, Reporters without Borders has noted that
the explanations given by the Ingush authorities of the
circumstances of Yevloyev's death make no sense. We agree.
Press reports indicate that outrage caused angry mourners to
demonstrate against local authorities at his funeral this
past Monday and that local authorities broke up the
demonstration.
All OSCE participating States have committed themselves to
upholding media freedom and freedom of expression. We were
encouraged by President Medvedev's June 2008 address in
Berlin in which he reaffirmed the Russian Federation's pledge
to uphold such commitments when he stated, "I fully agree
that media freedom needs to be protected, that this
protection needs to be enshrined in the law" and cited the
need to protect all media in Russia from "administrative
pressures at all levels." Furthermore, he pledged "all cases
of criminal attempts to kill or injure journalists" in Russia
"will be fully investigated."
We urge President Medvedev to fulfill these pledges in line
with Russia's OSCE media freedom and freedom of expression
commitments and call upon the Russian Federation to promptly
and transparently investigate this killing, to ensure that
those responsible are punished.
We urge OSCE participating States to join us in expressing
their shock and outrage about this murder and in calling on
the Government of Russia to take immediate steps to uphold
their OSCE commitments.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
RICE