EU May Lose Reliable News Source Due To Pressure On RT France - Russian Embassy In Paris

The entire French-speaking population of Europe will suffer from the persecution of the RT France channel, losing a high-quality and reliable source of information, the Russian Embassy in France told Sputnik in a statement

PARIS (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 20th January, 2023) The entire French-speaking population of Europe will suffer from the persecution of the RT France channel, losing a high-quality and reliable source of information, the Russian Embassy in France told Sputnik in a statement.

Bank accounts of the RT France broadcaster's desk have been frozen in France, Ksenia Fedorova, the broadcaster's editor-in-chief, said earlier in the day, adding that the bank refers to the authorities' order. Despite the fact that RT France does not appear on the sanctions list and has the right to work in France, such a decision actually paralyzes the work of the media, she added.

"We are convinced that the main losers in this situation are the residents of France and other French-speaking countries of Europe, who are deprived of access to a high-quality and reliable source of information," the diplomatic mission said.

The embassy also noted that the decision of the French bank to freeze the accounts of RT France infringes on the rights of the French citizens employed by the channel.

"It is doubly cynical that this decision also harms French citizens working for RT France, who, at the behest of their own authorities, will be thrown out into the streets in these difficult times.

There is reason to doubt that the initiators of the persecution of RT France will be engaged in their employment," it said.

The embassy expressed the hope that RT France would continue to broadcast in French for the benefit of French-speaking audiences around the world.

The embassy noted that even before the start of Russia's special military operation in Ukraine, France pursued a "restricting freedom of speech, discriminatory policy" against RT France, which was considered unacceptable in Russia.

"We consider the last step � blocking the accounts of the TV channel, which actually puts an end to the continuation of its work in France � a flagrant violation not only of fundamental democratic principles and international norms and rules regarding freedom of the media. It even goes beyond the restrictive measures imposed by the European Union against Russia, which do not apply to RT France," the diplomatic mission said.