VIENNA, May 2. /TASS/. The Russian and Belarusian delegations to the OSCE condemn the practice of using illegitimate sanctions against professional journalists doing their job.
"We urge against the practice of suppressing dissent, including through the introduction of various restrictive measures against information sources and media workers. We declare that we condemn the use of sanctions tools and other illegitimate restrictive measures against journalists performing their professional duty," the two diplomatic missions said in a joint statement on the need to respect the basic principles of freedom of expression and access to information.
The delegations emphasized the need to abandon the practice of restricting freedom of expression and media freedom "through bans and targeted discrediting of alternative viewpoints" and by labeling the media as propaganda tools. Moscow and Minsk also called on other OSCE member countries to develop cooperation on the track of information and better conditions for journalists’ work.