Moscow authorities ban march in memory of murdered journalists

On 11 December a procession planned for 17 December in Moscow in honour of murdered journalists was banned.

The organizers of the march received a document stating that the holding of the action would violate the constitutional rights of citizens not taking part in the event. The city authorities explained that the public procession would substantially limit pedestrian access for ordinary citizens, and that this would therefore be in violation of point three of Article 17 of the Russian Constitution which states that the rights of some citizens must not infringe the rights of others.

The procession was planned for 17 December to begin at Nikitskiye vorota along Tverskoy Boulevard to Novopushkinsky Square.

The procession was organized by a group of journalists, in particular from “Novaya gazeta”, “Moskovsky Komsomolets” and the radio station “Mayak”.

They note that Russia at the present time is one of the most dangerous countries for journalists. Since 1991 more than 200 people working in the mass media have died while carrying out their work. The organizers stress that the march was planned not as a political, but as a civic action, and was to mark the International Day in Memory of Journalists killed.

The march’s website states that they were forced to join together and hold such a march by the murder of journalist Anna Politkovskaya.