OSCE issues EU statement on media freedom in Russia

The OSCE statement depicts the latest developments in Russia: 

"As reported by the Representative on Freedom of the Media in his statement of 29 July, at least 15 journalists were assaulted, detained or had their equipment damaged by police while covering the demonstration in Moscow on 27 July. Fourteen journalists were also detained on 3 August.

In this regard, the EU remains concerned for the overall safety of journalists in the Russian Federation, with reports of continued incidents of intimidation, threats and
violence, including the recent decision to charge RFE/RL journalist Svetlana Prokopyeva with “justifying terrorism,” risking seven years in prison. This and other questionable criminal cases against journalists for voicing their opinions in Russia put serious pressure on freedom of the media in Russia. Under the current threat of imprisonment, journalists may hesitate to speak the truth in a timely fashion.

In the context of safety of journalists, we must not forget the Novaya Gazeta journalist Anna Politkovskaya who was killed 13 years ago and we echo the repeated calls by the RFoM on Russian authorities to intensify their efforts to end impunity for crimes committed against journalists.

(...)

An additional threat to free and independent media and to access to information and yet another example of shrinking space for independent voices in Russia are the
recent suggestions made by the Russian State Duma's Commission for investigating intervention in Russia's internal affairs. The Commission has asked the Ministry of Justice to consider adding Deutsche Welle to the list of “Foreign agent” media outlets, to revoke DW’s accreditation, and to review Radio Free Europe/ Radio Liberty, the BBC, Meduza, and other foreign outlets for their coverage of this summer’s events. We have raised our concerns over Russia’s “foreign agent” legislation many times, which goes against Russia’s human rights obligations and OSCE commitments."

Read the entire statement via the link below.