EU Parliament Resolution on Countering Russian Media Blatant Discrimination

The resolution countering Russian media adopted by the EU Parliament is an act of blatant discrimination and censorship, Sputnik Editor-in-Chief Margarita Simonyan said.

 The Sputnik news agency has addressed international organizations, including the United Nations, UNESCO, the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe and Reporters Without Borders to seek support against restrictions to media freedom in the European Union, seeking to halt the operations of Russian media outlets such as Sputnik and RT in Europe.

Earlier in the day, the European Parliament voted in favor of a resolution on countering Russian media outlets, such as the Sputnik news agency and the RT broadcaster. Sputnik Editor-in-Chief Margarita Simonyan sent a letter to relevant bodies regarding the document.

"The resolution directly attacks a number of reputable media sources, including Sputnik, and aims to prevent them from operating within the EU. Worse still, the motion directly contravenes the EU’s own rules on human rights and media freedom such as Article 19 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, Article 11 of the EU Charter on Fundamental Rights, and an EU Resolution made on 11 December 2012 aimed at developing a Digital Freedom Strategy in EU Foreign Policy," Simonyan said in her letter.