Russia suspended from World Press Freedom Day (FM) conference

Moscow, May 2 (UNI/Sputnik) Russia has been barred from participating in the UNESCO conference on media freedom issues, taking place May 2-5 in Uruguay, the ministry announced on Monday. Russian Foreign Affairs. “World Press Freedom Day, declared in 1993 by the General Assembly of the United Nations, is celebrated each year on May 3. On this occasion, UNESCO, the specialized agency of the United Nations system for international information cooperation, traditionally organizes thematic conferences. Unfortunately, Russia was not allowed to participate in this year’s event,” the ministry said in a statement. The UNESCO Secretariat, on behalf of the organizers of the forum, rejected Russia’s request “under a far-fetched pretext” to hold a special session on the issue of the influence of large IT companies on the functioning of mass media , as well as on the speeches of experts during the panel discussions. “The motivation for the refusal of the alleged ‘non-compliance’ with the requirements of the conference and an already compiled list of speakers is wide open to criticism… Clearly, the UNESCO Secretariat followed a group of well-known and extremely biased experts from countries promoting Russia’s “cancellation” policy on the international scene and intending to purge the field of information from points of view different from the ultra-liberal attitudes of the “collective West “,” the statement added. World Press Freedom Day, celebrated annually on May 3 since 1994, aims to remind governments of the right to freedom of expression. This year, the global conference is taking place in Punta del Este, in the south-east of Uruguay, and is thematically oriented on the issue of digital-based journalism. UNI/SPUTNIK VP RJ