Moscow calls on intl organizations to react to violence against journalists in Ukraine
MOSCOW. Nov 28 (Interfax) - Moscow calls on the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) and the Council of Europe to issue a principled judgment regarding violations of journalists' rights in Ukraine.
"We expect that specialized competent human rights institutions and organizations, in particular the OSCE and the Council of Europe, will issue a principled judgment about systematic violations of journalists' rights in Ukraine," the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a commentary published on its website on Friday.
"The authorities are continuing to foment the atmosphere of fear, uncovering and preventing the circulation of publications unwanted by the government. The rhetoric surrounding this subject is extremely dangerous. It catalyzes intolerance toward dissidents, which goes against Ukraine's international human rights obligations," it said.
"It is not surprising in this situation that acts of physical violence against journalists are continuing, like the recent attack on LifeNews correspondent [Yevgenia] Zmanovskaya," it said.
"This incident confirms that aversion to alternative points of view has permeated the Ukrainian journalistic environment itself, which has apparently forgotten about professional ethics, manifesting intolerance toward their colleagues from Russia," the Foreign Ministry said.
Moscow is concerned about "statements by Ukrainian officials marked by intolerance toward the activity of media outlets having a viewpoint alternative to the official one on what is happening in this country," its aid.
"Dozens of Russian journalists have been barred from entering Ukraine. Plans of an absolute ban on Russian TV channels in Ukraine are being harbored," it said.
LifeNews reported earlier that its correspondent Yevgenia Zmanovskaya "was attacked by Ukrainian journalists and football fans while on assignment near the Arts Palace. A cameraman accompanying Yevgenia did not switch the camera off during the incident."
The video includes a moment "when Yevgenia and her cameraman Alexander Ulyanov are being encircled by a crowd of aggressive people."
"They start insulting the Russian journalists using foul language and demanding that they leave Ukrainian territory," LifeNews said.
It was reported on November 27 that the Ukrainian Security Service had barred 83 Russian journalists, particularly those from the Zvezda, VGTRK, and LifeNews TV services, from entering the country.
