Russian President Vladimir Putin stressed the importance of freedom of speech and information in a speech at a media conference on Saturday. Critics of Putin’s policy of banning dissent called the remarks absurd.
“At a time when the complex process of multipolarity is developing, it is particularly important to protect the principles of information reliability,” Putin said in a video message to participants of the BRICS media summit in Moscow on the occasion of the 120th anniversary of the state news agency TASS.
“Real freedom of expression, reflecting different opinions, makes it possible to search for compromises and common approaches to solving the world’s problems,” Putin added.
The media plays an important role in creating a just world order by giving people “an objective and pure picture of the world,” Putin said.
But in the country’s increasingly authoritarian climate, Russians have little freedom of speech and media freedom.
TASS Russian news agency, founded in 1904, has had a series of names and designations and is the country’s largest news agency. It is also seen as a mouthpiece of the government.
Media that do not align with the Kremlin’s statements and values are banned and closed. Opponents of the government are also prosecuted by the judiciary.
The Kremlin has doubled down on criticism of the war against Ukraine that began in 2022, and many Russian groups opposed to the war have been declared undesirable organizations.
Once a group is labelled as undesirable, it is effectively banned. This measure has implications for both the media and human rights organisations.