03 May 2008, 11:20
Picket to defend media freedom held in Krasnodar
About 15 persons came to the square in front of the cinema hall "Avrora" in Krasnodar to hold a picket. Half of them are journalists. The picketers protested against the interference of functionaries into the mass media activity, and also called on their colleagues to work on the principles of objectivity and truth.
The participants' mouths were bound by bandages with an inscription "censorship", they carried on their chests plates listing the legislative norms prohibiting media censorship (article 29 of RF Constitution, article 3 of the Law on Mass Media, article 144 of RF Criminal Code).
During the picket, the journalists were handing out leaflets which said: "The functionaries want mass media to describe the high level of life, kind militia and the nation-wide support of the authorities. This is what many journalists do. We are journalists, too, but we do not want to deceive you."
It was planned to hold the picket in front of the Krasnodar Krai administration. However, the place happened to be occupied because the movement "Nashi" (Ours) was holding the action "St-Georgi's Band" there. The journalists' action therefore had to be re-located to a much less busy place. But the journalists consider even this to be a huge success because this was the first picket to the defend media freedom in the history of Krasnodar.
Author: Evgeniy Titov, CK correspondent
