Russia's Boris Yeltsin took a stand against censorship on Wednesday, March 31. Yeltsin vetoed legislation that would have permitted banning morally offensive television and radio content. Yeltsin said the legislation was "inconsistent with the fundamentals of constitutional order of the Russian Federation and an array of federal laws."
The legislation, which had been approved by both houses of Russia's Parliament, would have given lawmakers the authority to ban both Russian television and radio content considered to be "morally impure." A council of lawmakers would have been established to monitor television and radio materials for "the protection of morals in Russian TV and radio broadcasts," said Yeltsin.
Since the end of strict media censorship in 1991, the types of material being broadcast have changed. Many Russian television and radio stations have begun broadcasting, both domestic and imported, programs which are bolder and spicier. This trend has Russia's parliament dismayed at the amount of sex and violence now being broadcast.
Yeltsin said the legislation approved by Russia's Parliament would be censorship of a kind specifically forbidden by Russian law.
