Reporters Without Borders Calls Putin a Predator and Control Freak

(Moscow Times – moscowtimes.com – May 3, 2013) An international media watchdog has called President Vladimir Putin a “predator” of free press and lumped him together with the likes of new Chinese President Xi Jinping and the Italian Mafia.

The  France-based Reporters Without Borders released an updated list of 39 “Predators of Freedom of Information” for World Press Freedom Day on Friday, but it reserved some of its most scorching criticism for Putin.

“If just one word were needed to describe Vladimir Putin, who was catapulted into the presidency in 2000 after a decade of dilution of authority, it would have to be ‘control freak,'” it said in a report.

“Since his return to the presidency in May 2012, Putin’s rhetoric has become even more militaristic and Cold War-like. Media critics? Manipulated by the U.S. State Department. Pussy Riot and their ilk? Anti-Semites who undermine public decency and destroy the country. Human rights NGOs? Foreign agents,” it said.

The report noted that Putin has shown public support for media freedom, most recently in an address to the Russian Union of Journalists last month when he said, “The media’s active and responsible attitude and a truly independent and courageous journalism are more than ever desired and indispensible for Russia.”

But the reality, Reporters Without Borders said, is “indispensible or not, independent journalism is a risky activity in Russia.”

The report said at least 29 journalists have been killed in connection with their work since Putin first became president in 2000 and lamented the death of Khimki journalist Mikhail Beketov in April and the fact that the masterminds of attacks on Novaya Gazeta reporter Anna Politkovskaya and Kommersant reporter Oleg Kashin remain unknown.

The report also berated Russia for last year recriminalizing defamation and creating a blacklist of websites that have been banned in the name of protecting minors.

“Since Vladimir Putin’s return to the presidency in Russia, the authorities have tightened their grip even further in response to unprecedented opposition protests,” it said. “The country remains marked by a completely unacceptable level impunity for those responsible for violence against journalists.”

The report also names as predators the leaders of other former Soviet republics, including Belarus, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan. It singles out the presidents of Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan for especially stinging criticism.

“Reporters Without Borders urges the international community not to hide behind economic and geopolitical interests,” it said. “Thanks to their rich natural resources, Azerbaijan’s Ilham Aliyev and Kazakhstan’s Nursultan Nazarbayev are confident that no one will rap their knuckles.”

Five new predators were added to this year’s list, including the new Chinese president and members and supporters of Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood. The report also said criminal organizations like Mexico’s Zetas and the Italian Mafia continued to target journalists that they considered too curious or independent.

The Kremlin had no immediate comment on the report, although it has rejected similar findings in the past as biased. Reporters Without Borders also named Putin as a predator last year.

As part of this year’s report, the organization raised eyebrows in Paris by pasting large posters of its press predators in subway stations and on building walls. Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was depicted shaking his fist, while Putin was shown raising his middle finger.