Washington accuses Moscow of "full assault on media freedom and truth"
This accusation comes right after the recent decision from Facebook to prohibit Russian state media from monetization.
The US Department of State has accused the Kremlin of engaging in a "Full Assault on Media Freedom and Truth" in Russia, following the restriction of access to the Echo of Moscow radio broadcaster and the Dozhd TV channel, both listed as foreign agents in Russia.
"Russia is engaged in an unprovoked war on Ukraine. At home, the Kremlin is engaged in a full assault on media freedom and the truth, and Moscow’s efforts to mislead and suppress the truth of the brutal invasion are intensifying," the Department of State said in a statement on late Wednesday.
This accusation comes right after the recent decision from Facebook to prohibit Russian state media from monetization, while Google Europe has banned RT and Sputnik in Europe, with the knowledge that the US State Department has spent $22 million on anti-Russia campaigns since 2014.
Read more: Anti-Russian propaganda bombards internet users
This comes in addition to the false information propagating in popular Western tabloids, using old images from different countries and disasters as victims in the Ukraine crisis.
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Moscow Human Rights envoy to appeal on suppression of Russian media
On Wednesday, a Russian human rights commission said Russia would appeal to the UN Human Rights High Commissioner for the violations being committed against Moscow's Russian-language media.
“I have prepared appeals for UN Human Rights High Commissioner Michelle Bachelet,” Russian Human Rights Commissioner Tatyana Moskalkova said on Telegram.
Moskalkova added that “these are very skillful and worthy human rights defenders, who, I hope, will react also to violation of our journalists’ rights. Russian-language broadcasting is forbidden in almost all European Union countries, and we see how freedom of speech is trampled nowadays.”
The Human Rights Commissioner also said she would appeal for the harassment of Russian nationals living abroad with Europe's Commissioner for Human Rights.
The Council of the European Union adopted new sanctions against Russia, banning RT and Sputnik from broadcasting in EU countries, and France's media regulator Arcom announced the immediate suspension of the broadcasting of RT France in the country.