WASHINGTON ― Indiana Gov. Mike Pence, the Republican vice presidential nominee, praised Russian President Vladimir Putin last week by saying that he has been “a stronger leader” than President Barack Obama. As a congressman, however, Pence denounced Putin’s treatment of journalists.
Pence co-founded the bipartisan Congressional Caucus for Freedom of the Press in 2006. Its members wrote a letter to then-Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, urging her to pressure Russian leaders to uphold press freedom and investigate why journalists critical of Putin had been killed.
“As the co-founders of the Congressional Caucus for Freedom of the Press, we are especially concerned about the persecution of journalists in Russia, which has been occurring with increasing frequency, severity, and impunity,” the letter read.
“An independent media is essential to maintaining the principle and practice of democracy, and the right of freedom of expression is enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the International Covenant of Civil and Political Rights, and other international agreements to which Russia is a part,” it continued.
Russia consistently ranks among the countries where members of the press have the least freedom, and journalists there face constant scrutiny and danger.
The Russian government routinely censors media organizations, and there are few independent news sources in the country. At least 34 journalists have been murdered in Russia since Putin took office in 2000, many by government or military officials, according to data from the Committee to Protect Journalists and the Glasnost Defense Foundation, two organizations that track journalist deaths in Russia.
Few of these cases have been investigated.
Pence’s letter singled out the case of Paul Klebnikov, editor-in-chief of Forbes Russia magazine, as “a tragic example of the kind of murder of journalists that have gone unresolved under President Putin’s Administration.”
Klebnikov, who had spent years investigating corruption and graft in Russia, was shot and killed in Moscow in 2004, after his magazine published a list of the wealthiest Russians. He was “the twelfth reporter to be killed in mafia-style assassinations in direct reprisals for their journalism in Russia since President Putin came to power in 2000, and not one of the murderers has been brought to justice,” according to the letter.
Klebnikov’s case remains unsolved.
“Vladimir Putin hasn’t changed from 2006, but unfortunately it seems that Mike Pence has, and he is no longer willing to condemn the Russian strongman.”
- Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.)
Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), Pence’s Democratic counterpart on the caucus, called the GOP vice presidential nominee’s newfound praise of Putin “appalling.”
“Mike Pence and I founded the Congressional Caucus For Freedom of the Press to highlight attacks on journalists around the world, believing that a free press is an indispensable ingredient for a democratic society,” Schiff told The Huffington Post in a statement.
“Mike always associated himself closely with Ronald Reagan, and to now see him and Donald Trump lauding Vladimir Putin as he invades his neighbors and crushes democracy and dissent in Russia is appalling,” the statement continued. “Vladimir Putin hasn’t changed from 2006, but unfortunately it seems that Mike Pence has, and he is no longer willing to condemn the Russian strongman.”
Pence unsuccessfully tried to pass a federal “shield law” while in Congress, which would protect journalists from revealing the identities of anonymous sources. But last year, as governor of Indiana, Pence suggested creating a state-run media outlet to compete with independent news sources. He quickly retracted the proposal after widespread opposition — which included critics dubbing it “Pravda on the Plains.”
The campaign for GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump did not respond to a request for comment.
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