Journalism Is My Only Weapon

26 June, 2007 (02:31) | Journalism | By: Loris Z.

Since Russian reporter Yelena Tregubova published a book criticising Vladimir Putin’s regime, at least one attempt has been made on her life:

Since Russia enshrined freedom of speech as a constitutional right in 1993, a total of 152 journalists have been murdered there. A database set up this month by two media monitoring organisations, the Glasnost Defense Foundation and the Center for Journalism in Extreme Situations, sets out the details of each case. Yelena Tregubova is trying hard not to be the 153rd.
“I am not going to keep silent, because if I do, they will kill me silently,” Tregubova declares. “I am in a privileged position because I can speak freely. Many of the colleagues I left behind in Moscow think as I do about what is happening, but they can’t speak up. I don’t have nuclear weapons, I don’t have an organisation like the KGB behind me. Journalism is my only weapon.”

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