Russia says US actions against it’s reporters violate freedom of information

Moscow, Oct 30: Washington’s recent actions against Russian journalists violate the right to access information and media pluralism, Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said Wednesday.

A film crew from Russia’s Izvestia newspaper, who arrived in Washington to cover the upcoming presidential election, was detained and subjected to hours of interrogation on Tuesday night, resulting in one member being expelled from the country, the Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

Zakharova noted that the Russian journalists had notified US authorities of their intentions and received permission before their arrival, adding that this reflects the United States’ readiness to use repressive measures against inconvenient information.

“The arbitrariness of the American authorities will not remain without a proper reaction on our part,” Zakharova said, Xinhua news agency reported.