BRUSSELS, February 5. /TASS/. The Brussels-based International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) has urged European countries not to use media as a weapon in the political crisis between Ukraine and Russia and to uphold the right to information, according to the organization’s statement obtained by TASS in response to a request to comment on the situation around the ban on RT DE broadcasting in Germany and the reciprocal ban on Germany’s Deutsche Welle broadcasting in Russia.
"The IFJ and EFJ (European Federation of Journalists) have urged authorities across Europe - where heightened tensions over the crisis between Russia and Ukraine have led to increasing restrictions and threats against media - to avoid using media as a weapon in the crisis. The right to free and unconditional access to information is a fundamental right," the statement said, urging authorities "not to use media as a political football."
It noted that "the Russian government revoked the media accreditation of workers of German broadcaster Deutsche Welle (DW) and ordered the closure of its office in Moscow," following the decision to ban RT "from airing its programs in its German-language channel in Germany. The decision reaffirmed a ruling in December that said the Russian state broadcaster didn’t have the necessary license to operate in Germany, something that RT denies."
On Wednesday, Germany's Commission for Licensing and Supervision of media institutions banned RT DE broadcasting in German language in the country because of the lack of license. According to the media regulator, the channel neither obtained nor requested the mentioned license.
On Thursday, the Russian Foreign Ministry stated that the German decision forces Moscow to take reciprocal measures against the Deutsche Welle office in Russia. Other measures include "the invalidation of accreditation of all employees" of the office. Russia also commenced creating a list of German representatives involved in the restriction of RT DE’s operation or other pressure on the Russian media operator. They will be barred from entering Russia. Moscow also ordered relevant institutions to consider recognizing Deutsche Welle as a media operator acting as a foreign agent. Moscow will also ban DW’s satellite and other broadcasting in Russia.