BBC Russian and other Russian-language news websites have been told by the Russian state media watchdog, Roskomnadzor, to remove interviews with Artem Loskutov, a Russian artist and activist. In the interviews, Loskutov talks about a forthcoming march in favour of the “federalisation of Siberia” due to take place in Novosibirsk.
In the case of the BBC, Roskomnadzor is concerned with an audio interview first broadcast on 31 July as part of BBSeva, a programme which looks at current affairs from a human-interest angle, with a special focus on arts and culture. In it, Mr Loskutov (pictured above) spoke with the BBC’s Seva Novgorodsev about the planned “march for the federalisation of Siberia” in Novosibirsk. On the webpage, the BBC also added background on Mr. Loskutov and his previous activities to provide further context to the story. A quote was added from a blog by Mr Loskutov in which he says that as an artist he views the event as “part parody, part provocation, but also, partly, a real attempt to gain autonomy” – but, he adds, as a Siberian, he is trying to raise serious questions about the future of Siberia.
A BBC spokesperson said: “We have no plans to remove this interview from our website. Mr Loskutov is an artist and activist known for organising events which are, at first sight, parodies of political activity, but which also bring out serious issues about life in Russia. Mr Loskutov’s views represent his personal position. The BBC aims to present all sides of a story in an impartial, unbiased way, and we have also requested an interview with a Russian government official to explain their position on the planned march. Our editorial decisions are guided by the BBC’s Editorial Guidelines and the story in question is in full compliance with the requirements set out by this document.”
It appears that the march organisers’ page on Russian-language social networking site VKontakte has been taken down or blocked.