| IAGJ/CASCFEN:
Restriction of work of «Kavkaz-Center» is violation of human
rights IAGJ/CASCFEN - The Independent Association of Georgian Journalists, representing more than 150 professional journalists, expresses the indignation concerning restriction by the the governments of some countries, a freedom of speech and expression of the Chechen News Agency «Kavkaz Centr». The site of agency «Kavkaz Centr» has more than once undergone to attacks on the part of official structures of Russia and some other countries. There were cases of its illegal and unreasonable liquidation. On the official data the agency «Kavkaz Centr» works on the basis of registration, taken place in 1999 in Grozny (Jokhar). The founder is the National Centre of Strategic Researches and Political Technologies of Chechen Republic of Ichkeria, registered in the Ministry of Justice of CRI in October, 1998 (No: 1377/A-17). «The Russian government insists on closing of the Chechen news agency, referring on, that «Kavkaz Centr» has connection with the Chechen leaders and distributes the antigovernmental information. Under the statement of the Russian special services, the agency cooperates with terrorists. Such statements have no bases and the materials confirming agencie's terrorist activity officially are not submitted. And oral statements about connections with the Chechen political leaders should not serve as an occasion for liquidation of agency», declares IAGJ. «The Right to freedom of speech and expression should not be limited for political reasons of this or that side. It is equally distributed to everything including on inhabitants of the Chechen Republic», the president of association Zviad Pochkhua has declared. The IAGJ marks, that it is not rare while materials distributed by agency «Kavkaz Centr» overstep the limits of journalistic ethics. Articles, published by journalists of the specified agency frequently are tendentious, that is caused by an emotional pressure of the terrible war which have appeared in a consequence in the Chechen Republic. But even such articles cannot be counted illegal as they express a position of authors. Especially they cannot be estimated as a call to war and violence about what asserts the Russian government. IAGJ addresses to all international organizations with the request to consider the situation around «Kavkaz Centr» and to express the position. «Agency «Kavkaz Centr» has the right to existence, also journalists working on agency have the right to free journalistic activity. This right is guaranteed by the universal declaration of human rights and nobody should break it», declares IAGJ. The association calls the governments of all countries to provide to reporters of agency «Kavkaz Centr» accreditations and also to promote them, in their professional work. Independent Association of Georgian Journalists is a member of the International Federation of Journalists, and also Central Asian and Southern Caucasian Freedom of Expression Network. www.iagj.org.ge +995 32 99 60 97 CASCFEN www.cascfen.org 2003-08-19 12:47:25 |