IL GIORNALISMO INDIPENDENTE IN RUSSIA: IL CASO DI “NOVAJA GAZETA”

This is an abstract review of the work I have put together during these months of research, study and analysis, in which I have attempted to describe and analyze present aspects of contemporary Russia whilst considering its main historical, political and social aspects. The aim of this dissertation is to investigate some of the main socio-political aspects of Russia over the past decade and a half in connection with the major setbacks in the protection of inviolable rights such as freedom of opinion, press, assembly and association and analyse how these setbacks have shaped the practices and meanings of journalism. I decided to focus on the case of Novaya Gazeta, one of the few remaining independent Russian newspapers that publish critical coverage of the Kremlin and is renowned for in-depth exposés of power abuses, human rights abuses and corruption. This work is divided into three sections: the first one focuses on the legal restrictions on free speech enacted into Russian law in recent years. In this respect I have analysed some of the articles of the Russian Constitution which restrict rights and freedoms for both man and citizen and hinders the work of independent journalists and human rights defenders. As a matter of fact, in recent years, the Russian government have started to increasingly exercises its control over the mass media, using it as a weapon of political intimidation and as a mean of social control. On the other hand, independent media outlets have been frequently silenced with threats and have struggled to maintain their independence from state interests. Also, all the prominent Russian opposition leaders, Kremlin critics and independent journalists have been systematically targeted with fabricated criminal charges aimed at silencing their critics and at discouraging the public in large from engaging in opposition politics. Attacks, arrests, office raids, and threats against journalists have become the most common tools to repress free thought. In this regard, I discussed the cases of independent journalists from different republics of the Russian Federation and described their difficulties in tenaciously pursuing their role as independent journalists in a hostile and adverse reality. Section 2 considers the widespread and sustained use of political killing occurred during Putin’s fourth terms as President of Russia from 2000 to present and how this has brought to the persecution and murder of five “Novaya Gazeta” journalists and one of their lawyers. This prove that currently in Russia, the journalists that work for the oppositional media have seen jeopardise their careers facing verbal and written threats and harassment to physical attacks. Also, UNESCO’s latest Global Report on Media Development and Freedom of Expression reports a significant increase in the risk in the safety of journalists' lives, suggesting that there is scant support for human rights in Russia. The chapter is organised around the six key murders, with a particular focus on Novaya Gazeta journalist Anna Politkovskaya and her politic murder. The investigation for their murders failed to look properly into who commissioned the crime, therefore no perpetrators have been brought to justice, proving that culture of impunity is deeply embedded in the country. Section 3, finally, regards the 2021 Nobel Peace Prize awarded to Dmitry Muratov, the editor-in-chief of Novaya Gazeta for his efforts to safeguard freedom of expression, which is the requisite for implementing the rule of law and building a stable democracy. During the last twenty years, Novaya Gazeta have faced attempts by the Russian government to silence their publications and Muratov served as a representative of all journalists who stand up for strong freedom ideals in a world in which democracy and freedom of the press face increasingly adverse conditions.

Questo lavoro nasce dal desiderio di indagare alcuni dei principali aspetti socio-politici della Russia contemporanea in relazione alle grandi battute d'arresto nella protezione dei diritti inviolabili e analizzare come queste abbiano modificato il modo di fare giornalismo in Russia. Nello specifico, si concentra l’attenzione sul caso di “Novaja Gazeta”, uno dei pochi giornali russi indipendenti rimasti che si occupa di pubblicare reportage e inchieste relative ad abuso di potere, violazioni dei diritti umani e corruzione, in aperta opposizione con il governo. Questa tesi si sviluppa in tre parti. La prima tratta le restrizioni legali alla libertà di parola introdotte negli ultimi anni nel diritto russo: queste impongono delle limitazioni alla libertà di espressione dei cittadini e ostacolano il lavoro dei giornalisti indipendenti. Analizzando i dati raccolti nei report di UNESCO, Freedomhouse, Reporter senza frontiere e Justice for journalists foundation si mette in evidenza come le libertà di informazione e di espressione in Russia siano altamente dipendenti dagli interessi statali e come i media indipendenti siano sottoposti a frequenti attacchi ed intimidazioni volte a reprimere la loro attività professionale. A questo proposito, sono state descritte le storie di giornalisti indipendenti di diverse repubbliche della Federazione Russa e mostrate le loro difficoltà nel perseguire tenacemente il loro ruolo in una realtà così ostile e avversa. Nella seconda parte della tesi vengono esaminati gli omicidi di cinque giornalisti collaboratori della "Novaja Gazeta" e di uno dei loro avvocati, con particolare attenzione a quello della giornalista Anna Politkovskaja, celebre a livello internazionale per aver denunciato gli abusi sui civili ceceni da parte dei soldati delle forze armate russe. In tutti questi omicidi lo Stato non è riuscito a risalire ad un mandante, lasciando i casi irrisolti e dimostrando come la cultura dell'impunità sia profondamente radicata nel paese. L’ultima parte della tesi riguarda l’assegnazione del premio Nobel per la pace a Dmitrij Muratov, il direttore di “Novaja Gazeta”. Negli ultimi vent'anni Muratov e i suoi collaboratori si sono prodigati per fornire un’informazione libera ed indipendente nella protezione del diritto alla libertà di parola in tutto il territorio della Federazione Russa: il premio Nobel ha assunto dunque un significato simbolico più ampio che va ad includere tutti i giornalisti vittime di repressioni ed imposizioni.