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Major Russian union goes to bat for reporters detained in Latvia calling for their release

On December 3, the Latvian State Security Service detained several journalists cooperating with the Sputnik and Baltnews media outlets

© EPA-EFE/VALDA KALNINA

MOSCOW, December 4. /TASS/. The Russian Union of Journalists (RUJ) is appalled by the detention of Russian reporters in Latvia and is demanding their immediate release, the statement by the RUJ reads.

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Among those taken into custody are Baltnews former editor-in-chief Andrei Yakovlev, journalists Andrei Solopenko and Alla Berezovskaya, who cooperated with this media outlet, as well as publicist, human rights activist and public figure Vladimir Linderman.

"The Russian Union of Journalists is outraged at the illegal detention of Russian journalists in Latvia and demands that all the charges against them be dropped immediately. This illegitimate and wrongful act has nothing to do with any legal guidelines and is a direct attempt to demonstrate that the use of violence against Russian journalists and media outlets in the country has become the norm."

The professional association is urging Russian and international civic and journalism organizations to join the protest and to undertake all possible steps so that similar cases against reporters carrying out their professional duties won’t be repeated in the future.

On December 3, the Latvian State Security Service detained several journalists cooperating with the Sputnik and Baltnews media outlets.

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