International Federation of Journalists suspends russian membership

The Executive Committee of the International Federation of Journalists decided to suspend the membership of the russian Union of Journalists in connection with full-scale russian aggression against Ukraine.

According to the "European Pravda," the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) stated that suspension of membership is the maximum level of sanctions the body can impose on its members for violating its statutes. The IFJ World Congress decides on exclusion.

"The IFJ is an organization built on international solidarity, on the principles of cooperation between member unions and respect for the rights of all journalists. The actions of the russian Union of Journalists to create four of its representative offices in the annexed Ukrainian territories clearly destroyed this solidarity and sowed discord," the chairman of commented Federation Dominique Pradalier.

He dismissed earlier criticism that the decision took a long time and called for "finding ways to continue to support independent journalists in russia and beyond."

In russia, according to the russian agency TASS, indignation at the decision has already been expressed. It was stated that such a decision would harm the International Federation of Journalists, which would not receive membership fees from the russian side.

It should be noted that at the end of January, representatives of Finland, Norway, Denmark, and Iceland announced their withdrawal from the International Federation of Journalists due to issues with the decision-making process in the organization, including the fact that representatives of propaganda resources controlled by the kremlin remain members of the organization.

The media representatives of the four Nordic countries explained their exit with allegedly undemocratic practices, unethical financing, and the fact that the IFJ has not yet expelled representatives of the russian state media from its membership.

After that, the International Federation of Journalists announced that it would consider the issue of excluding representatives of the russian federation.