Press freedom in Russia is not as well developed as it should be, 10 years after the Soviet Union's implosion provided journalists new independence, Russia's human rights ombudsman Oleg Mironov said on 3 May, AP reported the same day citing Interfax.

Mironov said that journalists "are persecuted, threatened," they "get killed by paid assassins" and "go missing." Mironov also said that Russian media legislation was "not working" and "was too weak," according to AP. He called on the government to adopt a federal law that would "eliminate ungrounded limitations" on information, protect citizens' privacy, and penalize officials and organizations who violate the rights of journalists. "The authorities at all levels do not want to recognize the mass media as a mediator between the citizens and authorities," Mironov said.

(RFE/RL 10.v.02)