UK Media Could Face Consequences Of Discrimination Against Sputnik, RT- Russian Embassy

LONDON (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 13th July, 2019) The recent situation with RT and Sputnik being kept out of the Global Conference for Media Freedom in London shows that Russian media are discriminated in the United Kingdom, the Russian embassy in the United Kingdom said on Friday, warning of likewise measures toward the British media in Russia.

RT and Sputnik were barred from the conference which took place from July 10-11 in the British capital. The UK Foreign Office had denied the two Russian media accreditation to the event over their "active role in spreading disinformation" without specifying any particular instances of this. When asked to provide specific examples of alleged disinformation, the Foreign Office referred Sputnik to UK media watchdog Ofcom, which earlier claimed that RT "broke broadcasting rules by failing to preserve due impartiality" in several episodes. In a wake of this UK move, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on Tuesday that Moscow was giving London 24 hours to provide specific facts on the basis of which RT and Sputnik were denied accreditation to the conference.

"Thus, the initial conclusion of the embassy that we are dealing with direct politically motivated discrimination of the Russian media was fully and finally confirmed.

The Russian Foreign Ministry's public demand for the British side to present the facts on which the allegations were based has not been answered," the statement said.

The embassy noted that the British media operating in Russia should be prepared to face the consequences of the actions of the British government. A similar suggestion was voiced by Zakharova on Thursday.

The logic of the UK government is difficult to grasp since some Russian media which broadcast in Russia were allowed at the conference, the embassy said, stressing that RT and Sputnik which have licenses in the United Kingdom were banned from the event.

Russian media outlets have faced a barrage of criticism in the West over the past several years. In 2016, the European Parliament adopted a resolution aimed to counter Russian media influence, citing RT and Sputnik as major threats. A number of European and US politicians have accused Sputnik and RT of interfering with other countries' affairs, but they have not given any evidence. Moscow has repeatedly branded the accusations as groundless.