Moscow demands Kiev free Russian journalists (Russian Foreign Ministry)

The Russian Foreign Ministry has demanded that Kiev take urgent measures to release journalists from the Russian TV channel Zvezda detained near Slavyansk on Friday. "Kiev is continuing to grossly trample upon freedom of the media. On June 6, Verkhovna Rada deputy and former presidential candidate Oleg Lyashko used physical force against VGTRK correspondent Balitsky, tried to tear his press card and pushed him out of the parliament building.

Russian journalists from the Zvezda television channel Andrei Sushenkov and Anton Malyshev were detained near Slavyansk in the early hours of June 7," the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement circulated in Moscow on Saturday.

"We categorically denounce these practices by Ukrainian authorities in relation to journalists, which have lately become a steady trend, especially when it comes to work of Russian members of the press. We demand that Kiev take immediate measures to unconditionally free the above-mentioned citizens of Russia and be further guided by principles common in democratic society, commitment to which was declared in the inauguration speech by Petr Poroshenko, who has just taken office as the president of Ukraine," the ministry said.

Moscow expects international organizations to properly assess the detention of two journalists from the Russian TV channel Zvezda in Ukraine and demands their immediate release, Russian Foreign Ministry Human Rights, Democracy, and Rule of Law Commissioner Konstantin Dolgov said.

"Naturally, we expect an international response to be appropriate and presume that the people who call themselves the authorities in Kiev should start acting in line with Ukraine's international obligations and that the Russian journalists will be freed safe and sound," Dolgov told Interfax on Saturday in commenting on the journalists' capture.

The incident marks just another instance of Ukraine's violating its commitments regarding human rights, freedom of speech, and media freedom, Dolgov said.

"The Kiev authorities apparently have not learned any lessons from unacceptable incidents involving Russian and other foreign journalists and are still unable to guarantee normal and civilized conditions, particularly security conditions, for foreign journalists working in the country," Dolgov said.

"The informational environment is being mopped up, unwanted media outlets are being cut off, and journalists are getting blockaded and seized. There have been continued violations of human rights, international standards, commitments to the OSCE and the Council of Europe, and other international obligations of this country," he said.

Moscow has reasons to presume that members of extremist organizations acting in Ukraine are behind the capture of the Russian journalists, Dolgov said.

"Certainly, the matter concerns continuing lawlessness committed by extremists, national radicals, Right Sector, and other extremist organizations. There is every reason to believe that Russian citizens have gotten into the hands of these very fighters," he said. Russia is making every effort to secure the soonest possible release of its citizens, Dolgov said.

"The OSCE, with its monitoring mission and the representative on freedom of the media, should play its role here, as was the case in previous situations," he said.

Dolgov insisted that regular seizures of foreign journalists in Ukraine can be explained by the fact that extremists acting this way have never been punished either by Kiev or by the international community.
[voiceofrussia.com]
7/6/14
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