Russia

Recently, the most famous Russian journalist Anna Politkovskaya was gunned down, thereafter it arose public concern about the freedom of speech in Russia. Here is an article I read from the Guardian: http://www.guardian.co.uk/g2/story/0,,1891506,00.html

One of the most fearful facts that the article pointed out was she is already the 13th journalist killed since Vladimir Putin came to power.

"No one believes he personally ordered her execution - but there won't be many tears shed inside the Kremlin."

I do not have much information about the condition in Russia, and I think most people are like me. Inside Russia, the broadcast is said to be under the control of the governmnet. Thus it is said to be patriotic and becomes a promotional tool of the government. To me it sounds like something happened only during the war-time or in an autocratic country, and in fact the Kremlin is autocratic in my impression.

Despite an apparent democratic system and a capitalist country, Russia is not benefited by them. People are still under a strict control, as well as suffer from poverty and starvation. Seemingly there is no big difference after the transformation from the Soviet Union. For instance, some of the rich were arrested and their property was ceded to the government without an evident conviction. Maybe there was, but it was very mysterious in the eyes of the public.

Apparently the Kremlin remains a strong power internationally, but I don't quite understand the reason. I don't know clearly about how people's living there is like, and I think it is not very good. However there seems to be no way to know how the outsiders can help the country.

Sometimes I think it may be better after the end of Putin's term, yet the problem is when Putin will leave the office. To me he is like a head of an elite secret police who could not accept any opposition.

Anyway. It is very sad to see that journalists in Russia are predicted to be more prone to self-censorship. I cannot imagine how they could survive under the pressure and how they write something they may not mean to or may not even agree with. They don't have a choice, and this is the pity. Meanwhile the public is affected as well. If the newspapers, according to the Guardian, is the last place to speak out own opinion and publish the truth, the lost will belong to the public.

People are free to think, but based on what they receive, it is doubtful whether people can realize the real world. Not only in Russia, but in many places like the US, media is always condemned to be subjective, unfair and unbalanced. If opinion of people in the US is already affected by the poor quality of journalism and media in spite of a so-called open-minded nation, one is hard to expect what the people in Russia can think.

The leaders are elected by people, but what's wrong in the whole thing (I don't know how I can call it) when various problems and issues are found? Just because it can never be perfect?

Somehow it is a misery.