You're reading: Moscow officials: OSCE analysis of press freedom in Ukraine nonobjective

 The analysis of the situation around the freedom of the press in Ukraine, conducted by the OSCE (Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe) Representative on Freedom of the Media Dunja Mijatovic is nonobjective and undermines the authority of this organization, the Russian foreign ministry said. "We have noticed the surprisingly nonobjective analysis of the situation around freedom of the press in Ukraine, which was mentioned by Mijatovic, who visited this country, in an interview with CNN," the ministry said on its website.

 “We would not like to believe that the OSCE high-ranking official is deliberately manipulating facts. Nevertheless, her persistent reluctance to see reality is obvious. Such actions not only force on the rest of the world a distorted perception of what is happening in Ukraine but also undermine the authority of the whole OSCE,” the ministry said.

“In announcing her general conclusions, the OSCE representatives seems either unable or reluctant to understand the true causes of the extraordinary danger looming over freedom of expression in Ukraine,” the Russian foreign ministry said.

“More than 200 attacks on journalists in the Kyiv-controlled territory are mentioned only in passing,” the statement said.

“This is probably the first time in Europe since the Second World War that representatives of right-wing radical, neo-Nazi and anti-Semitic movements have come to power. No wonder that they effectively introduced a political censure in the country,” Moscow says.

Mijatovic’s position obliges her to conduct an objective analysis of facts and assist in solving problems associated with the violation of freedom of the media, the ministry said.

“Thus, in accordance with her mandate, the OSCE representative is supposed to call on those who hold power in Kyiv to start an inquiry into specific wrongdoings by extremist groups with respect to journalists and restrictions of the freedom of the media,” the ministry said.

“The task of Mijatovic is to ensure that Kyiv does rectify the situation. In her interview she could have publicly demanded, for instance, a release of journalist Konstantin Dolgov who was arrested in Kharkiv under a contrived pretext,” the ministry said.

Russia has repeatedly drawn Mijatovic’s attention to the essence of what is happening in the Ukrainian media space, the ministry said.

“So why does Mijatovic once again see the problem elsewhere, namely, in the legitimate desire of the Russian-speaking population of southeast Ukraine cut off on Kyiv’s orders from Russian television channels to know the truth?” the statement said.

“The OSCE representative has again mixed up cause and effect. Instead of an honest assessment of the atmosphere of information intolerance emanating precisely from Kyiv, CNN viewers are again being told, and misled, about Russia’s Crimea for some reason, while ignoring the fact that for the first time in history its peoples received statutory recognition of their language and cultural diversity and freely chose the Russian information space which makes available many international channels, including the CNN,” the Russian Foreign Ministry said.