Russian TV Station Runs Segment Criticial of Putin

A television station in the remote Russian city of Chelyabinsk broadcast a two-minute clip criticizing President Vladimir Putin, a rare event in a country where television is tightly controlled.

In the footage on local channel Eastern Express a woman is heard saying above dramatic music that Putin has "brought the criticism of all international rights organizations on Russia" and is allowing corruption on "unimaginable scale".

"Under Vladimir Vladimirovich (Putin) the freedom of speech, the freedom of assembly and freedom in general are not at all welcome," she says in a comment that most channels in Russia would not usually air.

Valery Shagiyev, the head of Eastern Express, was not available for comment over the prime-time insert that followed a positive message on healthcare in the industrial city of Chelyabinsk, 1,500 km (930 miles) east of Moscow.

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