Media representatives were not allowed to attend a meeting of parliamentarians of OSCE countries in Vienna for fear of Russian propaganda activities.. Access restrictions have been tightened because Russian parliamentarians are also participating and the meeting coincides with the anniversary of the Russian attack on Ukraine, German MP Michael Georg Link (FDP) told the German Press Agency.
“This is to ensure on the one hand that the Winter Conference goes smoothly, and on the other hand to prevent the Russian propaganda machine from using this meeting for its own cause,” he said. Link, who serves as deputy chairman of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly, said the exclusion of independent media “is a side effect that should really be avoided. This is the cause of the media freeze,” Ukrainian MPs said.
On the other hand, the Secretariat of the Parliamentary Assembly argued that, in addition to security aspects, lack of space was the main argument against media participation. Without live access, the media was forced to follow the talks via live stream without translation.
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