Russia, in response to the persecution of Russian-language media in Moldova, has banned entry into the country of 11 members of the republic’s parliament from the government-controlled Action and Solidarity Party (PAS). This was reported to TASS by the official representative of the Moldovan Foreign Ministry Igor Zakharov.
“Eleven deputies from the Action and Solidarity Party were banned from entering Russia,” Zakharov said.
“On November 20, the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Moldova to the Russian Federation was summoned to the Russian Foreign Ministry Lilian Darius. The Moldovan side expressed a strong protest in connection with the ongoing politically motivated persecution of Russian-language media in Moldova, including the blocking of access to their Internet sites. Lilian Darius was informed that, as an asymmetrical measure, entry into the Russian Federation has been denied to a number of officials of the Republic of Moldova,” the Russian Foreign Ministry reported.
It did not specify the number of these individuals.
This year, the Emergency Situations Commission of the Government of Moldova suspended the licenses of 12 Moldovan TV channels, banned the broadcast of Russian TV and blocked access to dozens of information portals. As explained by the head of the information and security service Alexander Mustyatsathese media pose a threat to the information security of the republic and are an additional source of instability next to Ukraine, NATO and the EU.
The actions of the authorities were sharply criticized by human rights activists and leaders of opposition parties. They drew attention to the introduction of censorship in the media, violations of the rights of citizens to independently choose sources of information, and the fact that the bans were introduced during the preparation for local elections.
In the summer of 2023, the Russian Federation banned the entry of 20 Moldovan citizens, including 18 PDS deputies. This measure was a response to the requirement to reduce the staff of the Russian embassy in the republic by 45 people (up to 10 diplomatic workers and 15 people responsible for administrative, technical and other functions). Chisinau explained its decision by allegedly numerous unfriendly actions and attempts by Russia to destabilize the internal political situation in Moldova.
2023-11-21 01:30:00
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