RUSSIA: Supporters of President Vladimir Putin want to restrict Russian television coverage of the aftermath of terror attacks in what rights defenders say is another Kremlin-backed threat to media freedom. Daniel McLaughlin reports from Moscow
In the aftermath of this month's explosion on a Moscow metro train, members of United Russia, the party that most strongly supports Mr Putin and dominates parliament, have aired plans to prevent television channels showing dead bodies after bombings.
They say the measure is aimed at averting public panic.
Mr Valery Komissarov, head of the parliamentary committee that deals with media matters, said yesterday that ordinary Russians were crying out for such restrictions.
"It really worries them, when television masochistically shows graphic images of corpses, blood, bodies," he told Izvestia newspaper, accusing journalists of aiding terror groups by showing people the results of their attacks.
"What's a terrorist's main aim? To land an 'information strike' on the public, to put them in a trance, into shock and depression.
"You can only combat that in one way - by banning the showing of bodies and pieces of bodies."
Mr Komissarov dismissed the objections of press freedom watchdogs, who said the law would place the content of news bulletins at official discretion. He insisted that television channels and viewers could not be trusted to decide what to show and watch.
"It's like a diabetic who wants sugar. If he ate it he would die," Mr Komissarov said.
"There exists no other way of activating this means of self-preservation than setting limits.
"It's like a drug that you can't refuse. You can only limit its distribution by introducing a law."
If the plan makes it to parliament, possibly next month, it stands every chance of success. United Russia and fellow allies of Mr Putin control all parliamentary committees, and hold enough seats to pass any law and even change the constitution if they wish.
Mr Putin, an ex-KGB agent, has complained personally about television coverage of terror attacks, despite the fact that all three national channels are now state-controlled.
The February 6th metro bombing, which killed at least 40 people, was the latest bombing to be blamed on Chechnya's separatist rebels.
Mr Putin has failed to fulfil an election promise to crush the rebels, but is still overwhelming favourite to win a second term in office in next month's elections.