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Tuesday, 3 April, 2001, 10:35 GMT 11:35 UK
Russian TV station loses freedom
A battle for control of Russia's only nationwide independent television station, NTV, has been won by the state-dominated gas monopoly, sparking fears that media freedom has been dealt a serious blow.
In a boardroom coup, the old NTV board was sacked by the gas firm Gazprom, which says it owns a controlling stake of the station.
The fate of NTV, which frequently criticises the government, is being seen as a key indicator of free speech in Russia. Thousands have attended street protests to support its independence, and ex-president Mikhail Gorbachev has accused the Kremlin of trying to silence it. Mr Gusinsky himself remains in Spain, where he is locked in an extradition battle over what he says are politically-motivated charges against him. Mr Gusinsky and his managing director, Yevgeny Kiselyov, have both been ousted from the board by the Gazprom changes.
NTV's news reports have included negative portrayal of the war in the Chechnya, corruption exposes, and reports on the decline of public services. Mr Kiselyov denounced the boardroom coup as illegal. "They are holding a shareholders' meeting without the general director. It's absurd," he told journalists before the announcement.
NTV journalists have issued a statement condemning the move. "We understand that the ultimate goal of this meeting is the imposing of full political control over us," said the statement. "We do not doubt that Vladimir Putin, as in the past, knows about what is happening and bears responsibility for the consequences."
According to Interfax, three old board members have survived the Gazprom cull, joined by six new appointees. They include Gazprom chief Rem Vyakhirev and the head of its media arm, Alfred Koch. Court battle Until February, Gazprom's stake in NTV was a minority 46% holding. Media-Most held 19%. But after a debt battle between the two firms - Gazprom says it is owed millions - a court froze Media-Most's stake, in effect handing control to Gazprom. Russia's only two other nationwide television stations, ORT and RTR, are already controlled by the government.
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