Russia Braces for a New Media Crackdown

Ten years ago this month Soviet tanks moved into the Lithuanian capital of Vilnius, killing 14 among the thousands of demonstrators who had assembled at the TV tower to support the tiny republic's rapid push for independence. After the crackdown, Western journalists covering the events scattered across the city, avoiding the official Intourist hotel for fear that the KGB would expel us to remove the prying eyes of the press. I was taken in, in violation of Soviet laws, by a local family — their own gesture of resistance. And so, sitting in a small apartment opposite the Lithuanian parliament, I watched Moscow TV each night with growing alarm. Full Story...