I feel the cold breeze of old times

It appears that Russia is back to its old ways BIG TIME. Though I can't claim to be any sort of expert in the matter, it has to do with the Chechnya. On the one side you have Chechens, a recognized independent ethnic community who have fought with Russia for their independence since the early 20th century. Reports of Russia's persecution, abuse, and killing of the Chechen people are not uncommon. On the other side you have Shamil Basayev, a so-called freedom fighter who has terrorized unarmed Russian civilians, mainly in the Northern Caucasus region. Most notably and most heinously was the Beslan school hostage crisis of 2004 in which Chechen rebels took hundreds of children and adults hostage in a three day standoff resulting in the murder of 344 civilians, 172 of them children.

Last week ABC News' Nightline broadcast an interview with the outlaw Basayev. The Russian government so wholeheartedly opposed the airing that on Sunday Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov said he was barring military personnel from contact with ABC and said the ministry now considered the network "persona non grata." The ministry called the broadcast a "clear fact supporting the propaganda of terrorism" and said it "resounded with direct calls for violence against Russian citizens."

Needless to say, Russia does not believe in a free press. A. Babitsky, the Russian journalist who interviewed Basayev is in violation of the Russian law by conducting the interview without a corresponding accreditation. The ministry said, "circumstances of organizing and receiving this interview are yet to be cleared with his employer." In the past Babitsky has focused on human rights abuses by Russian troops. Russian authorities have accused him of being a Chechen sympathizer. He explained to Nightline that had he come forward with this interview to Russian officials, his life would have been in danger.

ABC News had no immediate comment but Ted Koppel did offer this at the end of his broadcast:

"Freedom of speech is never an issue when a popular person expresses an acceptable point of view. It is of real value only because it guarantees us access to the unpopular espousing the unacceptable. Then we can reject or accept it, condemn it or embrace it. No one should have the authority to make that decision for us. Not our own government; and certainly not somebody else's."

[8/7/05 Update]
Here are some disturbing accounts of Russian abuse to Beslan and Chechen civilians. Village Voice article