Another Muslim republic defies Kremlin

MOSCOW, NOV 26: Even as Russian forces ae battling terrorists in the breakaway republic of Chechnya, Bashkortostan, Russia's another Musl...

MOSCOW, NOV 26: Even as Russian forces ae battling terrorists in the breakaway republic of Chechnya, Bashkortostan, Russia’s another Muslim-dominated republic, has pulled out the plug of state-run federal RTR and ORT elevision stations, openly defying the kremlin and threatening the terrorial integrity of the country.

Bakhkir parliament has passed a resolution, first by a region, clamping a ban on the regional broadcast of political shows, by two central stations, widely critical of former Prime Minister Yevgeny Primakov and Moscow Mayor Yury Luzhkov, who are leading Fatherland-All Russia movement in the forthcoming Duma elections.

Bashkir President Murtaza Rakhimov, who also happens to be a leader of the Fatherland-All Russia electoral bloc, backed the parliamentary resolution, setting a confrontation between the Kremlin and the Kuslim region.

Story continues below this ad

Although Nikolai Svanidze’s “Zerkalko” weekly programme on RTR and Sergei Dorenko’s analytical review on ORT, have sharply been criticized in media for their strong political bias to the Kremlin, political observers in Moscow have denounced Bashkir action as illegal as what they say, it threatens Russia’s territorial integrity.

Russian Press and Information Minister Mikhail Lesin gave a stern warning today that the Kremlin might cancel the Duma elections in the region, if the Bashkir Government doesn’t restore the broadcast by RTR and ORT in the region.

Bashkir decision was “absolutely contrary” to Russia’s constitution and its laws and on mass media and elections, Lesin noted.

Lesin also threatened to bring a libel suit in the court against those who pulled out the plug for two federal channels and shut the Bashkir regional television broadcasting company.

RTR and ORT accused Bashkir decision of “separatism”.