CREES Noon Lecture. “On Again, Off Again: Freedom of Speech in Russia.”

Victor Shenderovich, writer. <br> Sponsors: CREES, Weiser Center for Emerging Democracies.

Victor Shenderovich, political satirist and journalist, will offer his perspective on the bittersweet experience of the Russian media in the aftermath of the collapse of the USSR. Shenderovich is the creator of the legendary television show “ Kukly (Puppets),” which caricatured Boris Yeltsin, Vladimir Putin, and other prominent figures of Russian politics. The popular program was broadcast on television channel NTV until it was cancelled in 2002, reportedly in response to pressure from the Kremlin. Shenderovich will talk about the ascent and defeat of NTV, which suffered the consequences of exercising the right to free speech in Putin’s Russia. He will also discuss censorship and self-censorship, and the power of underground satire in modern Russia.

This talk will be presented in Russian, with translation by Anna Krushelnitskaya.