Moscow Lambasts Moldova's Move to Revoke Licenses of Russian-Language Channels as Censorship

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Moscow qualifies Chisinau's decision to revoke licenses of six Russian-language channels broadcasting in Moldova as political censorship and urges international organizations to assess these actions, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on Saturday.

"We consider this ban an unprecedented act of political censorship, an affront to the principle of media pluralism, and a flagrant violation of the right to free access to information, to which the political leadership of the republic have regularly proclaimed their adherence," Zakharova said in a statement.

Moscow also views this act as a "cynical infringement on the rights of national minorities" given the impact the suspension would have on the Russian-speaking part of Moldovan population.

"We demand that the relevant international organizations give an appropriate assessment of what has happened and take all necessary measures to rectify this unacceptable situation," Zakharova said.

On Friday, Moldovan authorities suspended the licenses of opposition and Russian-language channels Primul in Moldova, RTR Moldova, Accent TV, NTV Moldova, TV6, Orhei TV over allegations that they were inaccurately covering domestic affairs and the Ukraine conflict.