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Austria’s Foreign Ministry to summon Ukraine’s ambassador over journalist entry ban

On March 7, Ukraine barred Christian Wehrschuetz, head of the ORF office in Kiev, from entering the country for one year

VIENNA, March 8. /TASS/. Austria’s Foreign Ministry will summon Ukrainian Ambassador Alexander Scherba next week over the entry ban Ukraine imposed on Christian Wehrschuetz, head of the Austrian Broadcasting Corporation’s (ORF) office in Kiev, the Austrian Press Agency reported on Friday.

The Austrian Foreign Ministry said that Foreign Ministry’s Secretary General Johannes Peterlik would talk to the Ukrainian ambassador.

On March 7, Ukraine barred Christian Wehrschuetz, head of the ORF office in Kiev, from entering the country for one year. Kiev accused the journalist of crossing the state border illegally, of justifying Crimea’s reunification with Russia and of anti-Ukraine propaganda. In response, Austrian Foreign Minister Karin Kneissl accused Ukraine of censorship and, lambasting Kiev’s steps, urged it to lift the entry ban.

In December 2018, Christian Wehrschuetz said he feared for his life in Ukraine and called on the Austrian government and the ORF top executives to influence the authorities in Kiev so that they stopped obstructing journalists’ work. He also noted that he had been repeatedly denied accreditation.