Journalists Face Danger in Moscow

Mikhail Beketov, a journalist in Russia, wrote about the rising corruption and crooked deals in his suburban paper, until his car was blown up and then he was savagely beaten. The attackers broke his fingers so that he could not write. The police promised a thorough investigation, but barely looked up from their desks. Surveillance videos were ignored. Neighbors were not interviewed. Information about politicians’ displeasure with Mr. Beketov was deemed “unconfirmed,” according to interviews with officials and residents. Eighteen months later, there have been no arrests.

This is just one story about the rising attacks on journalists in Moscow. Another journalist was pummeled by plainclothes police officers after a demonstration. It was all captured on video. Even so, the police released a statement saying that he had hurt himself when he was accidentally pushed by the crowd. These forms of intimidation and aggressive efforts to bankrupt or disrupt media outlets.

The culture of impunity in Russia represents the most glaring example of the country’s inability to establish real laws in the two decades since the collapse of the Soviet Union. And this failure radiates throughout society, touching upon ordinary men and women who are trying to carve out lives in the new Russia, but are wary of questioning authority. President Medvedev has called Russia a nation with a national trait of “legal nihilism.” But the Prime Minister and President have done little to regulate or establish justice.