Violation of Press Freedom and Human Rights - case study: russia

The present report aims at raising awareness of the global situation of press freedom and violation of human rights in Russia, focusing on the case of the journalist and human rights activist, Natalia Estemirova.

This paper is divided into two parts: the first part will consist of a case-study of Russia, divided into four sections. Section 1 provides some background information on the political situation and the level of freedom enjoyed by the press in contemporary Russia; section 2 examines in detail the particular case of Natalia Estemirova; section 3 looks at the international press commentary on this matter; and the final section reviews the Council of Europe statements on this tragic event.
One year after Natalia Estemirova´s death, the Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Right, Thomas Hammarberg, expressed his concern about the unacceptable and dangerous situation faced by investigative journalists and further stressed that the responsible have still not been brought to justice. Even if bringing them to justice would undoubtedly be interpreted as an indication of the determination of the relevant authorities to protect human rights and end patterns of impunity. However, given the existing impunity and the lack of results, what is the real purpose of an investigative journalist: is it to inform citizens in the service of democracy, or is it to confront censorship and interests of authoritarian and regulator states?

As a final point, this report will seek to identify those whose responsibility is to protect journalists. Thus, the second part comprises two sections.
Section 1 looks at how international human rights instruments, namely the UN Declaration on Human Rights and the European Convention on Human Rights, and the Constitution of the Russian Federation, currently protects the right of freedom of speech; while Section 2 examines the UNCHR´s role in the protection of those members of the press who have been forced to flee their home countries, solely because of conscientious performance of their roles as investigative journalists.

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The present report is my personal contribution as a journalist.

It has been written in the context of the final project of my internship in UNHCR Representation to the European Institutions, in Strasbourg (France).
I dedicate it to the UNHCR Strasbourg team who has encouraged me since the beginning of my internship.
Thank you for giving me this opportunity and for sharing your work, experience and knowledge.

To read the full version, email me at: lisa.elkaim@gmail.com