GÖTEBORG: EXTENDED VIDEO - Garry Kasparov challenges Russian press freedom at World Editors Forum

Posted by Robb Montgomery on June 4, 2008 at 1:52 PM

During a speech at the 15th World Editors Forum in Goteborg, Sweden, Garry Kasparov, leader of The Other Russia, an opposition political party, addressed subjects such as press freedom and the political climate for journalists in today's Russia.

Immediately following his address, Vladimir Sungorkin, the editor-in-chief of Komsomolskaya Pravda, the number one tabloid in Russia stood up and invited Kasparov to speak in Russia about these issues. The video shows Vladimir's offer being translated by Eugene Abov, the general manager of GIPP, the Association of Independent Russian Publishers.

According to Kasparov, the atmosphere in Russian newsrooms is one of caution because of the current political situation in Russia. The murders of Russian journalists such as Anna Politkovskaja have received great media coverage outside of Russia. But according to Kasparov, these cases did not receive the same attention in the Russian press.

You can also see the coverage on the website of The Other Russia, which picked up the video.

More video reports from the World Editors Forum here.