Peskov calls Clooney Foundation 'madmen'
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The foundation has recommended issuing secret warrants for media figures over allegations of "incitement to genocide" in Ukraine.
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Amal Clooney and George Clooney attend the Clooney Foundation For Justice's "The Albies" on September 28, 2023 in New York City. (AFP)
The Clooney Foundation for Justice (CFJ)'s crusade to arrest Russian journalists is obscene and goes beyond all limits, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov has stated.
On Thursday, the group, established by Hollywood actor and filmmaker George Clooney and his wife, human rights lawyer Amal Clooney, stated that it intends to arrest "Russian propagandists," specifically journalists reporting the Ukraine crisis.
Anna Neistat, the legal director of the foundation's The Docket project, explained that her team is urging the EU and the International Criminal Court (ICC) to prosecute the journalists for "incitement to genocide" in Ukraine.
The identities of those being targeted was not provided, as she cited "We want them to travel to other countries and be arrested there."
Neistat, who was born in the Soviet Union, has previously served as Human Rights Watch's Moscow director and Amnesty International's senior research director stated that after the war in Ukraine's outbreak, this line of work has become a "priority" and a "personal" problem.
Speaking to TASS on Friday Peskov condemned the CFJ's attempt to punish Russian media workers. "I suggest that Russian reporters ask those madmen how they justify this," he stated.
Maria Zakharova, a spokeswoman for the Russian Foreign Ministry, requested UNESCO and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) to respond and examine what she described as "a judicial safari targeting Russian journalists."
Zakharova accused the couple of engaging in "Russophobia" since it plays well in the West, and cited that “As it turns out, the protection of journalists – the way the Clooneys understand it – is hounding them by means of politically and ethnically motivated criminal prosecution."
Vasily Piskaryov, the head of the State Duma committee on foreign influence in internal affairs, indicated that the CFJ's actions will not be left unanswered, adding that Russian MPs will consider designating the NGO as 'undesirable', thereby prohibiting operations in the nation.
It is noteworthy that Amal Clooney has been silent on the genocide ongoing in Gaza.
Russia calls out EU's violation of freedom of speech, media
Commenting on Brussels’ latest ban on Russian media outlets, Russia’s State Duma Chairman Vyacheslav Volodin called out the EU for censoring alternative opinions and restricting freedom of speech to deceive citizens.
The decision targets Voice of Europe, RIA Novosti, Izvestia, and Rossiyskaya Gazeta, citing their alleged role in spreading and supporting "Russian propaganda" and "aggression against Ukraine."
"The Council today decided to suspend the broadcasting activities in the European Union of four additional media outlets, which spread and support the Russian propaganda and war of aggression against Ukraine: Voice of Europe, RIA Novosti, Izvestia, and Rossiyskaya Gazeta," the council wrote in a document.
On Telegram, Volodin called the move a sign of the EU “to close access to objective and reliable information” for residents of member states, adding, “the policy of double standards has become an integral part of European structures” as they only “talk about freedom of speech, but do not tolerate it in reality”.
He highlighted that there is nothing that the EU can do to prove they are right, further adding that as soon as they see any problems, they block “any alternative point of view, destroy freedom of speech, and violate the right to freely disseminate and receive information”.
