Center for Journalism in Extreme Situations
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Freedom of speech in Dagestan
This bulletin has been translated by Hanna Gronborg
CJES is grateful for this voluntary contribution
According to officials, as well as a few journalists, freedom of speech in Dagestan is not being infringed upon. There is no public censorship or any local laws that operate contrary to Russian legislation regulating the relations with mass media. Consequently, only Russian laws guide Dagestani journalists in their work. Nonetheless, not a single newspaper that has openly criticised the government has survived until this day. For example, the daily newspaper “Khronika nedeli” has been forced to close down. The paper made public a number of issues directed against the Council of State chairman, Magomedal Magomedov, and in this way gained popularity. At the time, tax inspectors, fire fighters, as well as health and safety inspectors were visiting the “KhN” office on an almost daily basis. The editors were ordered to pay excessive fines and electric light and telephone lines in the office were regularly turned off. In 2001 the paper was forced to close down.
The same fate befell the paper “Dagestantsy”, whose entire circulation was withdrawn at the time of the elections for head of the Republic in June 2002. In the issue in question an article by a certain Aliev was published. In court proceedings Aliev had renounced his right to vote in connection with what he considered grave violations of the Constitution of the Russian Federation and the Dagestan Republic. After a couple of days, the paper was back in circulation and the editor-in-chief changed tack. Now he acts, not as the sole responsible, i.e. as heading an independent publication, but under the wings of the political opponents to the head of the Republic. The paper appears in print only periodically, but often issues are just handed out, since the paper, due to political reasons, simply is not sold in kiosks.
Governmental mass media
GTRK “Dagestan” GTRK “Dagestan” has no frequency of its own and covers ORT broadcasting between 18.00 and 21.00. Moreover, GTRK can also be seen on NTV, where, apart from commendations of village workers in the program “Primite nashi pozdravlenia” [”accept our congratulations”] – one can watch yet another soap opera series, recorded at the time of the ORT morning broadcast, or some kind of thriller on a video tape of dismal quality. In fact, local television reminds one of television at the time of socialism. There are too many official presentations and speeches by the Council of State chairman and the government of the Dagestan Republic. The speeches, moreover, are unabridged. The so-called information program “Dagestan”, which is broadcast live on weekday evenings contains subjects and reports up to three weeks old.
The Dagestan radio also works in this manner – broadcasting official presentations, programs about the everyday life of village workers and national broadcasts in the various languages of the peoples of Dagestan. Not long ago, Dagestan radio marked its 75th anniversary. In the jubilee it was confessed that the young pass up work at the radio, that wages are on average 1200 roubles, and that the technology is impossibly old – some equipment is from the end of the 60s.
Apart from GTRK, the private television station “TBS” also exists in Dagestan. “TBS” broadcasts to Makhalchkala and part of Kaspiisk and has branches in a couple of Dagestan regions, for example in Levashinskii (the birth place of Magomedal Magomedov). “TBS” shows only programs of commendations and commercials. The only information program – “Kokteil’” – covers cultural news and the local scene.
Radio stations
Radio “Priboi” is broadcast to Khasaviurt, Kiziliurt, Makhachkala and Kaspiisk. It is a music-information radio station. There is a lot of national music, azan – pauses during hamaz [prayer] – and blocks of “Islamskie novosti” run off the Internet and frequently carrying an openly extremist tint.
Radio “Karavan” was a music-information radio station with blocks of local news. It was closed down in summer 2002. The official explanation was the expiry of the licence.
“Evropa plius – Makhachkala, broadcast to Makhachkala and Kaspiisk. Only music and commercials.
“Khit FM – Dagestan”, broadcast to Makhachkala, Derbent, . Music, commercials.
“Dinamit FM”, broadcast to Makhachkala.
Radio “Retro”, broadcast to Makhachkala.
“Russkoe Radio”, broadcast to Makhachkala. Republic newspapers
All Dagestani papers can be divided into national and Russian press. Further, according to circulation, reputation and price, (i.e.) the most popular dailies are:
“Novoe delo” – circulation 23000, price 5 roubles, daily.
“Molodehz Dagestana’” – 14000, 5 roubles, daily.
Makhachkalinskie izvestia” – 17000, 3 roubles, daily.
MK v Dagestane” – 11000, 7 roubles, daily. Furthermore, official circulation figures are often far from the real ones. This is done with unofficial permission from the authorities. It is considered that only “Novvoe delo” and MK v Dagestane” publicise their true circulation.
There is no independent media in the Republic. All papers belong either directly to the Dagestan Republic Council of State or government, or to individual, influential persons. This is true, for example, of the paper “Makhachkalinskie izevstia”. The fact that the paper belongs to the city administration, and in particular to the Makhachkala mayor, Said Amirov, is obvious. Practically every article begins or ends with a phrase like “Only thanks to Said Dzhaparovich Amirov” or “Thank you, city mayor” and so on.
There are also papers controlled by the Dagestan Republic Council of State and government. Not long ago, until November 2002, there appeared in the masthead of such papers the Dagestan Republic Council of State, government, People’s Assembly as well as the editorial office’s journalist crew. In the latest session of the People’s Assembly, a decision was taken regarding the turning of the editorial office of the republican papers and journal “Zhenshchina Dagestana” into a state institution. However, the publication details have so far not been changed.
Below are the most popular republican papers:
“Dagestanskaia pravda” – daily. Circulation 18000
“Zamama” (Dargin language)
“Lezgi gazet” (Lezgin language)
Kh’’akikat-Istina” (Avar language)
“Eldash” (Istina)
“Ilchi” (Lakh language)
“Nur” (Tsakhur and Russian languages)
“Rutul’skie novosti” (Rutul and Russian languages). Rutul Less well-known papers:
“Derbend” (Azeri language). Town of Derbent
“Vatan” (Tatskii language). Town of Derbent
“Vesti” (Agula language). Tpig.
“Golos stepi” (Nogai language). Terekli-Mekteb.
“Stepnie vesti” (Russian language), town of Kizliar Furthermore, there is also the Islamic press – popular among religious circles in the Republic as well as among Dagestan believers – which can be considered a category of its own.
“Islamskii vestnik”
“Mug’alim” (Avar language)
“Nasledie”
“Nurul islam” (Russian and Avar languages)
“Assalam” (Russian, Avar, Dargin, Lezgin and Kumyk languages) There are also papers that, due to their narrow coverage and the irregularity with which they are published, are generally hard to find in kiosks:
“Dagestanskaia panorama”
“Dagestantsy”
“Avaristan” (Russian and Avar languages)
“Niiso (Ravenstvo)” (Russian, Chechen Languages) Town and joint papers:
“Buinakskie izvestia”, town of Buinaksk
“Khalk’’ny sesi (Kumyk language), town of Buinaksk
“Derbentskie novosti”, town of Derbent
“Kiziliurtovskie vesti”, town of Kiziliurt”
“Trudovoi Kaspiisk”, town of Kaspiisk
“Druzhba”, town of Khasaviurt
“KEMZovets”, town of Kizliar
“Kizliarskaia pravda”, town of Kizliar In addition to the local papers identified above, there are at least 30 regional newspapers in different national languages.
There are also 25 republican journals, published in Russian and in languages spoken by the people of Dagestan. Moreover, the main journals, such as “Literaturnyi Dagestan” and “Zhenshchina Dagestana” are published in Russian as well as in the national languages.
In terms of content of the press recounted above, it fully meets the criteria of a press that carries no hint of freedom of speech. There has not been a single critical publication, no journalistic investigations, not a word of reproach against the authorities or even criticism aimed at middle level bureaucrats. Here are some of the headlines that have appeared in “Dagestantsy”: “Ob itogakh poezdki glavy respubliki v g. Moskvu” [“About the results of the trip of the Head of the Republic to Moscow”], «Vosslavim zhenshchinu-mat'» [“We honour the woman-mother”], «Ot programm – k delu» [“from program to business” – Soviet slogan], «Sev ozimykh idet uspeshno» [Winter sowing carried out successfully”], «Svet» [Light], «Svetoforchika” and so on.
The same content can be found in national papers with the only difference that it has been translated into this or that language. The main readership of these papers consists of rural farmers and people who live high up in the mountain regions, and who are literally forced to subscribe to these papers. It goes without saying that this happens on directives from above, i.e. on order from the head of the regional or village administration.
At the end of 1999, Bagaudina Uzunaeva, the former, but at the time chief editor of the regional daily “MK v Dagestane” was stopped in the street not far from home late one evening by unidentified assailants and warned that if he did not stop writing his articles, they would kill him, and no one would dare to look for him. This happened after his publication appeared in “MK v Dagestane” under the title “Dedovshchina” [hazing, i.e. the abuse of new conscripts by longer-serving soldiers]. The article was not at all about the army – the headline was connected to the popular name of the Dagestan Council of State chairman, who is called ”Ded” [grand father]. At this time, the paper was refused access to the printing house in Makhachkala. The paper had to print its circulation both in a printing house in Minvod [Mineralnie vody], and in Rostov. Presently, the paper’s circulation is 11,000 and as before it is printed in Minvod.
In September 2001 one member of staff at GRTK ”Dagestan” was made redundant. The reason for the dismissal was a supposed oversight. The girl accepted advertisements on a weekly basis for the coming issue of ”MK v Dagestane”. This time round, there appeared an article in a television advert in the paper, claiming that if the Constitution is to be followed, the elections for the Head of the Republic may turn out to be illegal. The advert was published and the girl who had accepted it lost her job. The paper was forbidden for an indefinite period of time to place adverts. Only after long negotiations was the decision taken to let it resume advertisement. But the adverts must now pass through the editorial office of the GTRK “Dagestan” chairman. After editing, there are no political connotations in the adverts. Even the words “government”, “State Council”, and “National Assembly” are removed.
Despite the fact that requests for accreditation are handed in on time and in accordance with the laws on mass media of the Russian Federation, far from all journalists receive the right to visit official meetings or sessions taking place in the government building. A refusal is never justified. On repeated requests for press accreditation they will politely inform one that either they “forgot”, or “next time, for sure, the main thing is to hand in your request in advance”. However, information regarding coming sessions is often made known only in the regular issue of “Dagpravdy” and in press releases about events that have already taken place.
The same thing happens when high dignitaries visit the Republic. Only the journalist and the photographer from “Dagpravdy”, Dagestan radio and GTRK “Dagestan” will have access to them. The rest are forced to resort to paparazzi methods.
Journalists of obedient papers are bought with premiums and incentives such as, for example, “Best press coverage of the work by the Ministry of Culture”, or the same “by the Ministry of Social Development”. It is very easy to buy journalists. This is understandable, since the average wage for a Dagestani journalist does not exceed 2000-2,500 roubles a month.
In spite of authorities, freedom of speech in Dagestan is being subjected to pressure from the clergy. For example, the Dagestan Spiritual Council of Muslims has announced that articles and reports concerning Islamic themes must be subjected to censorship. In particular, at one of the round tables with representatives of the press and clergy taking place in Machachkala in the summer of 2002, the deputy mufti Akhmed Tagaev declared that “to start with, all media should go through our censorship”! The motivation being not to let material of an extremist nature infiltrate [the press].
On the whole, all Islamic headings in the local press are run by representatives of the Spiritual Council of Muslims, which talk eloquently about the censorship proposed by the Dagestan Spiritual Council of Muslims.
Not long ago, the director of Dagestan’s most prominent paper-printing complex was awarded the post of deputy for Magomed-Salikh Gusaev, the Minister of National Politics, Information and Internal Communications of the Russian Federation. In this way the main printing house has come under the control of the authorities. All existing private printing houses in the Republic, regardless of the fact that their directors are supposedly independent businessmen, actually belong to close relatives of the head of the Republic.
At the Dagestani university, the journalism department has already existed for ten years at the philological faculty. Every year, the journalism department produces around 20-25 qualified journalists. Nevertheless, the papers are, as previously, staffed by pensioners. There are no new thoughts, no new ideas or young, bold opinions. Having worked for a few months on some republican newspaper, young journalists leave without any reservations. Endless directives “you can’t print this”, “don’t you dare say anything bad about this!” forces them into just giving up working in media all together.
Consequently, a dangerous situation is taking shape in Dagestan – there exists the outward appearance of total freedom under the total absence of the same. For while it looks as if it is possible to have ones say and criticise all and sundry, the journalists are scared and it is rare that they venture to step out in the open, preferring instead to “live in peace”. Such passivity only serves to further aggravate the situation regarding the disappearance of freedom of speech. More and more frequently, media is becoming a mere weapon in the hands of unscrupulous politicians, passing this off as independence, boldness and freedom of speech.
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