Russian Union Of Journalists Calls Expulsion From IFJ Politically Motivated

MOSCOW, May 8 (Bernama-Sputnik/RIA Novosti) --The Russian Union of Journalists (RUJ) said on Friday that the decision by the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) to remove it from its ranks was politically driven and professionally unjustified, reported Sputnik/RIA Novosti.

"The RUJ considers the IFJ's decision to permanently expel the RUJ as politically motivated, professionally unfounded and disgraceful for an organisation that has for decades declared itself a defender of journalistic solidarity," the statement read.

The formal reason for the expulsion was the RUJ's opening of branches in the Zaporozhye (also known as Zaporizhzhia) and Kherson regions in 2022. The RUJ emphasised that it had repeatedly explained the creation of those branches by the need to ensure the safety and protection of media workers operating in those territories.

"Journalists do not disappear from the map of the world just because someone in Brussels finds it inconvenient to acknowledge their existence. Their safety, professional rights and ability to receive support and protection cannot depend on the political decrees of Western European governments or the position of individual national unions that have long turned talk of press freedom into a tool of political pressure," the RUJ said.

The organisation added that it did not consider its actions a violation of the IFJ's charter, emphasising that protecting journalists is a key task of any professional association. The RUJ also suggested that the IFJ's decision might have been made under political and financial pressure from certain Western countries.

The organisation criticised the decision-making procedure of the FUJ, its lack of professional discussions and the formal nature of the reasons for its expulsion. The RUJ reiterated that it did not recognise any wrongdoing on its part and neither did it intend to reconsider its position, adding that it was ready to continue protecting journalists regardless of decisions by international organisations.

In February 2023, the IFJ suspended the RUJ's membership. Earlier this Friday, RUJ Chairman Vladimir Solovyov told RIA Novosti that the final decision to expel the Russian Union of Journalists had been made during the IFJ congress in Paris on May 7.

--BERNAMA-SPUTNIK/RIA NOVOSTI