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Russian MPs vow to make State Duma off-limits for all US media

The issue for an extraordinary meeting is imposing a ban on visits to the State Duma by journalists representing all American media outlets
Russian State Duma  Valeriy Sharifulin/TASS
Russian State Duma
© Valeriy Sharifulin/TASS

MOSCOW, December 1. /TASS/. The State Duma Control and Regulations Committee will come up with a proposal to ban all visits by all US media outlets to the lower house of the Russian parliament in response to Congress’ decision to yank RT’s Capitol Hill press credentials, the committee’s Chair Olga Savastyanova told reporters on Friday.

"Our committee plans to hold an extraordinary meeting to consider a draft resolution to be submitted to the State Duma Council on Tuesday [December 5] and the plenary meeting on Wednesday [December 6]," the lawmaker said. "The issue at hand is imposing a ban on visits to the State Duma by journalists representing all American media outlets," she explained referring to the content of the draft resolution.

In addition to that, the State Duma plans to urge regional legislative assemblies to make similar decisions. "In putting together this initiative, we want to call on the legislative bodies in Russia’s territorial entities to take appropriate decisions, in accordance with their powers," Savastyanova stated.

The committee’s extraordinary meeting is scheduled for Monday, December 4.

On Wednesday, Craig Caplan, Chair of the Executive Committee of the Radio and Television Correspondents’ Association at the US Congress, informed RT that its Capitol Hill credentials had been rescinded after the committee’s unanimous vote. The decision was taken because that the broadcaster’s US contractor, T&R Productions LLC, had registered with the US Department of Justice as a foreign agent.