Moscow, Feb 5 : The International and European Federation of Journalists (IFJ/EFJ) has called on European countries not to use media as a weapon amid the ongoing tensions. The statement was made on Friday following the German decision to ban the RT DE broadcaster and the Russian ban on Germany’s Deutsche Welle (DW) broadcaster. “The IFJ and EFJ have urged authorities across Europe – where heightened tensions over the crisis between Russia and Ukraine have led to increasing restrictions and threats against media – to avoid using media as a weapon in the crisis,” the IFJ/EFJ said in a statement.
The organization added that the right to free and unconditional access to information is fundamental. On Wednesday, German media regulator MABB officially banned broadcasts by RT DE in Germany, claiming that the organizers did not have the necessary permission. The Russian Foreign Ministry stated that it would begin to take retaliatory measures against German media accredited in Russia, with RT saying it will appeal the MABB decision in court.
On Thursday, the Russian Foreign Ministry announced that Moscow would close the DW bureau, annul the accreditation of its employees, and terminate DW satellite and other broadcasts in response to the RT DE ban in Germany. Meanwhile, the ministry’s official told Sputnik that if Germany revisits its position on RT DE, Moscow will respond in kind.
