CIS Authorities Versus the Media

Kazakhstan
More than once the republic's leadership has spoken out against hindering the work of the foreign mass media. Today there are over 70 such accredited individuals in Almaty, most of whom represent the Russian press. All of them have the right to travel freely throughout the territory of Kazakhstan and to meet with anybody they want. Until recently the accreditation procedure was relatively simple - all the journalist needs is a letter from the editorial office made out to the minister of foreign affairs, a biography, a reference about the editorial office, and photographs. But not long ago, Kazakhstan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced its intention to introduce special cards for family members of accredited journalists and their crews - a sign that they are planning to place the journalist's entourage under some control. The accreditation started August 15 and has been going slowly because of the authorities' inertia and overall confusion connected with the state agency's move to Akmola. Incidentally, journalists haven't had any problems visiting the new capital, and a special flight will be organized for them for Kazakhstani President Nursultan Nazarbayev's arrival in Akmola. Kazakhstan has had a few incidents involving the foreign media. The most notorious of them was the murder of US journalist Chris Goering in his apartment in downtown Almaty. Twice authorities have tried to kick "Izvestiya" correspondent Vladimir Ardayev out of the country, and they also have suspended the activity of "Komsomolskaya Pravda" after it published an interview with Alexander Solzhenitsyn. Since last year, RTR's (Russian Television and Radio Company) broadcasting in Kazakhstan has been completely suspended, and ORT's air time has been cut substantially. Nazarbayev is particularly critical of the Russian media for their coverage of Cossack activities in the republic.

Georgia
Georgia has practically no centralized system of accreditating foreign journalists under the republic's Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The same conditions apply to all journalists, including foreigners. Foreigners are accredited every year and in different ways, depending on the department. The most widespread practice is to send a letter on letterhead with a request for accreditation. At the president's chancellery, an application is filled out for the personnel department. Along with a letter and two photographs, the application is sent to the state protection service. After being examined by a panel of experts, an accreditation card is issued indicating the level of access. Outwardly, no one is usually given a hard time about the accreditation. But in reality, the republic's security services deal closely with foreign journalists and the local media. The most widespread practice is tapping telephone conversations. For example, the telephones of MN's correspondent office are constantly under surveillance. A parliamentary commission discovered the addresses of over 10 newspapers where the Ministry of Security would regularly record telephone conversations. This issue was raised at a closed parliamentary session, and after some stormy debates, the Security Minister, General Kviraya, was relieved of his duties.

Azerbaijan
According to the Law on the Press passed in 1992 by the republic's parliament, accreditations are handled by Azerbaijan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs. In order to receive short-term accreditation, a journalist needs a letter with a request for accreditation from the newspaper or agency where the journalist works, two photographs and some identification. The procedure takes 15 minutes. At the Ministry of Foreign Affair's information department a card is filled out with the correspondent's data. After a foreign journalist receives a short-term accreditation, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs helps the journalist set up meetings, interviews as well as trips throughout the republic. For long-term work a journalist needs permanent accreditation. In addition to the other documents mentioned here, the journalist also needs brief references about his or her journalistic work from the newspaper or agency he or she works for indicating position and length of time at the paper. A permanent accreditation is usually issued for a year, and the accreditation procedure lasts 10-15 days, during which time authorities run a check on the journalist's biographical data.

Belarus
Last week the entire journalistic corps of non-Belarusian publications was out-lawed. September 23 was the deadline for submitting accreditation applications ac cording to the new rules. At the same time, all previous accreditations were suspended. Belarus' Minister of Foreign Affairs Ivan Antonovich called the new conditions "another step toward civilized relations between the state and members of the foreign media," most of whom represent Russian radio and television stations, newspapers and journals. We can only guess what the authorities really have up their sleeve for correspondents from their allied Russia when considering the official assurances about Belarus' war on the Russian media. But today, even before the details have been made public, many journalists working in Minsk are assessing the new rules as an attempt by the state to keep in check non-state controlled media. The list of reasons for which a journalist could lose his accreditation is long. A journalist could be deprived of his right to work in Belarus if he "publishes information that besmirches the honor, dignity and official reputation of the president." Some fear that this "article" could even apply to a caricature done by an artist, or an article about the bad investment climate in the republic, depending on how Alexander Lukashenko takes every word of criticism addressed to him.

Armenia
Armenia has practically no foreign journalists working on a permanent basis, and 99 percent of its own correspondents are Armenian citizens. One of the reasons for this is the unsettled relations between Armenia and Azerbaijan. Many regional bureaus of the foreign media, like Reuters, are located in Tbilisi. Any foreign journalist who comes to Armenia, even for a brief visit, must undergo the accreditation procedure at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Correspondents working on a permanent basis are better off getting their accreditation at parliamentary, government and presidential press services. Journalists are free to travel about the country, with the exception of visits to the border and military units, for which permission from the Ministry of Defense is needed. Today almost all leading electronic and printed Russian media are represented in Armenia. ORT and RTR have offices in Armenia, and NTV has a correspondent who is not on the permanent staff. This past spring the RTR management decided to close its Yerevan office because of financial hardships. But Eduard Sakhinov, a correspondent, believes that the reason lies elsewhere. He maintains that the Armenian authorities were not happy with his coverage of the riots in September last year, and this is precisely what led to his dismissal. Be that as it may, we can't help but notice that even such television monsters as ORT and NTV often cannot afford to pay for radio- relay communication since the prices are absolutely fantastic in Armenia.