Russian Bill Would Ban Disclosure Of Crime Victims' Race

Foreign students in St. Petersburg at rally against killing of Indian student Nitesh Kumar Singh in September 2006 (epa)

March 16, 2007 -- A bill under consideration in the Russian State Duma, the lower house of the federal parliament, would ban the media from disclosing the race, ethnicity, or religion of both crime victims and perpetrators.

Many news organizations voluntarily refrain from disclosing the race of those accused of crimes.

But critics say a mandatory ban on disclosing victims' race or ethnicity would infringe on media freedom and make it difficult for media to report on alleged hate crimes.

Igor Yakovenko, general secretary of the Russian Journalists Union, told Interfax that the proposed changes would prevent journalists from exposing racist attacks and thus play into the hands of those spreading ethnic discord.

Likewise, Pavel Gusev, editor in chief of the daily "Moskovsky komsomolets" called the legislation "a very dangerous bill."

(Interfax)