Russian reporters' arrests breach of US free speech commitment: Moscow
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Russian reporters traveling to cover the US elections have been detained and interrogated in Washington DC, prompting strong condemnations and criticism from Russia.
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Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova in Moscow, Russia, January 17, 2020 (AP)
The United States has blatantly violated its obligations to ensure freedom of access to information and media pluralism after detaining Russian journalists who had arrived at Washington DC's airport, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said.
According to Zakharova, US authorities did not inform the Russian Embassy in Washington about the detention of Russian journalists who traveled to report on the presidential election in the United States.
"They declared the goal of working as journalists to cover the elections. They went through all the procedures, got visas, permits, took the whole package of documents, and went to the United States," she noted.
This came as US authorities detained Russian journalists on October 29, and then interrogated them after.
Sanctions on RT and Rossiya Segodnya
The United States, while advocating for freedom of the press and speech, has consistently violated these rights, not only by unlawfully detaining Russian reporters but also through sanctions targeting Russian media outlets.
The US Department of the Treasury announced sanctions against RT Editor-in-chief Margarita Simonyan and her deputies Anton Anisimov and Elizaveta Brodskaia on September 4.
The news website's Deputy Director of English-Language Information Broadcasting Andrey Kiyashko, Digital Media Projects Manager Konstantin Kalashnikov, and numerous other employees were also added to the sanctions list.
The US State Department also implemented stricter regulations for Rossiya Segodnya and its subsidiaries, deeming them as "foreign missions." Essentially, the company is obligated under the Foreign Missions Act to notify the department of all employees working in the US and disclose all their owned properties.
Russia vowed to respond to the sanctions, with Zakharova affirming that "there will be a response, and they will have to understand that no action against our country will remain unanswered."
Read more: West launched 'blatant bullying campaign' against Russian media: Putin
