To all who can help "Express Chronicle"
The "Express Chronicle" weekly is the most authoritative publications on human rights in Russia. Now it is on the brink of closure due to financial difficulties.
Since 1987 the "Express Chronicle" has continued, in different conditions, the non-conformist tradition of the "Chronicle of the Current Events" which was one of the few sources of accurate and truthful information in the old USSR.
The newspaper has a wide network of correspondents in the CIS, the Baltic states and in many parts in Russia.
One of the principles on which it exists is the refusal to take any subsidy from the state, thereby ensuring its own genuine independence. At the same time, the newspaper has rejected any political aligment since its basic task is to defend human rights irrespective of who is inrifringing them.
All these years the chief editor Alexander Podrabinek, a former political prisoner, has campaigned against the still living of the CIS successor states, and warned society of the threat of a restoration of totalitarianism in Russia.
Now then these forebodings are beginning to take quite tangible form, and there are mass violations or individual's civil and human rights, the "Express Chronicle" serves as a tribune for anti-militarist, anti-Communist and anti-totalitarian forces.
There is real danger in Russia today that freedom of speech will be supressed.
We therefore consider it essential to support Russia's main human rights publications in this tense period.
Father Gleb Yakunin
Yu. Rybakov
V. Savitsky
Lev Ponomarev
Victor Sheinis
V. V. Borshchev
Anatoly Shabad
A.Ya. Lezdinsh
Deputies of the State Duma (Lower Chamber of legislative assembly)
"Express Chronicle" must not die!
The "Express Chronicle" differs sharply from the great mass of newspapers which we can read today in Russia. One can say, without any hesitation, that the paper is quite distinctive, and has its own style and point of view. A great many newspapers today call themselves independent Although their journalists express very sharp opinions on certain subjects, it is noticeable that each such newspaper has areas that it will not permit its commentators to assess negatively, although such an attitude would be quite justified. These blind spots or significant silences enable us to judge how truly independent one paper or another is, in a financial or any other sense. For the "Express Chronicle" there are no forbidden themes or sacrosanct political figures and this is testimony to its genuine independence as a newspaper.
The "Chronicle" has its own wide network of correspondents that enable it gain information independently. Often, this does not coincide with information from official sources. Moreover, from our experience, the information in the newspaper is accurate and can be relied upon in our work.
The newspaper has not been able to use the abilities of its staff to the full, especially recently, when the editors were forced to cut the number of pages from six to two because of financial difficulties. Yet even in this limited form the professional level of the paper's journalism is evident Many of the articles in the "Express Chronicle" would be a credit to any serious publication.
The activities of "Express Chronicle" in defence of human rights are very practically oriented. The paper constantly reports on the conditions in which the refugees in the former Soviet Union live, the right to an alternative to military service, and religious issues. It helps its readers to understand what laws are being passed and applied, to know their own rights, and to point legislators towards shortcomings in their projected laws. Furthermore, this aid is not limited to reporting. The paper's journalists provide practical help to individuals in solving their problems. In this way the newspaper and those who work for it are helping a constitutional state come into existence in Russia.
Eudoxia Gaer
V.B. Kara-Sad
A. Mananikov
L. Kotyosova
V.V. Kurochkin
Deputies of the Federation Council
(Upper Chamber
of legislative assembly)