For several days, the Russian authorities have been increasing the pressure against the newsrooms while carrying out, according to the European Union (EU), a campaign of disinformation on the epidemic of the coronavirus. Reporters Without Borders (RSF) is concerned about this tightening of information control.
Journalists reporting on the coronavirus are in the sights of Roskomnadzor, the official media control authority of Russia, listed as a Digital Predator of press freedom by RSF. Accused of spreading false information, the regional online newspaper Magadan Govorit had to delete an article earlier this week on the death of a patient suspected of having coronavirus and ultimately tested negative. Reliable information, verified and not indicating the cause of death, according to the newspaper, but which displeased the supervisory authority. Radio Echo Moskvy , as well as social networks VKontakte and Facebook also had to delete publicationsat the start of the week as part of the law on disinformation which came into force in March 2019 .
“The activity of the Roskomnadzor’s major censor should not be reinforced at a time of crisis, where free access to information is an absolute necessity , warns the head of the Eastern Europe and Central Asia office, Jeanne Cavelier. Under the pretext of fighting against disinformation, initiatives to control the information space are increasing. The Russian authorities must not take advantage of this epidemic to limit freedom of the press. RSF requests the abolition of the law on the dissemination of “false information”, with too vague outlines, which violates the freedom to inform. “
At the request of Prime Minister Mikhail Michoustin, “ stopcoronavirus.rf” , a center responsible for informing Russian citizens about the development of the epidemic was launched on March 17. The state structure was grafted onto an NGO headed by Alexei Goreslavski, the former head of internet policy with the presidential administration. Vladimir Tabak, the former deputy director of the Kremlin’s Institute for Internet Development (IRI), has been appointed to support him and he says he will have to tackle ” information risks, fake news and content production “ on the new virus. These two personalities distinguished themselves by their participation in the creation of RuNet, the Russian sovereign internet, which aims to guard against computer threats in the event of conflict, and which provides Russia with a new means of controlling its digital space.
At the same time, press access to information was gradually restricted. Since March 17, journalists could no longer attend an event in the presence of Vladimir Putin without having taken their temperature at least three times . On March 19, foreign journalists were denied entry to the Russian parliament , and the courts began to prevent the press from accessing public hearings. While the Moscow court promised journalists written reports and video broadcasts “where possible”, the measure raises concerns about its arbitrary and not very transparent nature.
The EU also denounced a multilingual Russian disinformation campaign aimed at undermining trust in the institutions and creating a sense of panic in Europe. More than 80 cases of misinformation have been identified since January 22. By spreading for example the accusation propagated by the Iranian authorities that the Covid-19 would be an American biological weapon, Russia would aim to rekindle patriotic and anti-Western feelings on the continent .
Russia ranks 149th in the 2019 World Press Freedom Index , compiled by RSF
Copyright ©2016, Reporters Without Borders. Used with the permission of Reporters Without Borders(RSF), CS 90247 75083 Paris Cedex 02 https://rsf.org
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