Russia said on Wednesday it would expel a correspondent and a cameraman from Germany’s ARD in a symmetrical response to German moves against journalists from Russia’s Channel One, which Berlin rejected.
The WDR, a regional branch of the ARD that is responsible for the broadcasting union’s news output from Russia, criticized Russia’s decision to strip two German journalists of permits to work in the country.
“This is a drastic step. It once again restricts our ability to report from Moscow. We have been dealing with threats and restrictions on our reporting from Moscow for almost three years,” said WDR programming director Joerg Schoenborn. Said.
WDR is assessing how it can continue its work in Moscow, it said in a statement
Criticizing Russia’s version of events, a German Foreign Ministry spokesman denied that the Channel One office in Berlin was being closed, and said the Russian journalists’ departure was related to residence law matters. .
“Russian journalists can report freely and unhindered in Germany. A whole range of Russian journalists are also accredited by the Federal Press Office,” the spokesman told a regular government news conference.
Residence law falls within the competence of regional states, or Länder, which make decisions independently of the federal government in Berlin, he said.
The spokesman said the government was in close contact with German media in Moscow because of concerns that Russia was taking “too vigorous” action against journalists.
report from russia
Channel One reported that Germany was closing its Berlin bureau and that two Russian journalists working for the channel, a correspondent and a cameraman had been ordered to leave Germany on security grounds.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova told reporters, “In response to restrictions by the German authorities on the presence and work of Channel One correspondents, we are forced to take reciprocal measures against journalists of the Moscow office of the German media group ARD.”
He said the two ARD employees have been ordered to hand over their accreditation documents and leave Russia.
However, Zakharova said Moscow would consider accrediting new ARD journalists if Germany provides conditions for their Russian counterparts from Channel One to have “normal work” there.
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