Russia is outraged by the decision of the French authorities to ban some of its journalists from the Olympic Games. The Kremlin reacted strongly on Monday, July 22, accusing Paris of censorship of the Russian press. For their part, the French authorities assure that they have refused several accreditations for security reasons.
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” This is an unacceptable decision and a violation of press freedom. » :the Kremlin reacted angrily on Monday, July 22, to the refusal of the French authorities to accredit several Russian journalists for the JO 2024. According to the RIA Novosti agency, five of its journalists were refused accreditation applications. This has sparked outrage among the Russiathrough the voice of Dmitri Peskov: “ We would like to hear the reaction to this from NGOs that defend freedom of the press. ” added the Kremlin spokesman.
France vigilant against espionage risks
For the time being, the France did not specify how many journalists were affected by the measure. But French Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin confirmed in the columns of the Journal du Dimanche that Russian journalists had been removed following an administrative investigation. The reason given: the risk of espionage, but also of cyberattacks.
The investigation did not only target journalists, the minister also cites the technical staff and physiotherapists. A total of a hundred people were excluded, coming from Russia, Belarus, but also from other countries. Due to the war in Ukraine, only about fifteen Russian athletes will take part in the Games, under a neutral banner, and without being able to participate in the opening ceremony.
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