our journalist is now Putin’s target

Our war reporter Kurt Pelda is the subject of proceedings in Russia for illegal border crossing. He is not the only foreign journalist under Russian investigation, but governments’ reactions differ widely.

Doris Kleck / ch media

Kurt Pelda, war reporter for CH-Media (of which Watson is a member), finds himself in a delicate situation. The Russian secret services (FSB) have launched legal proceedings against him, accusing him of having illegally crossed the Russian border. In question, two articles reporting a trip with Ukrainian soldiers to Soudja, district capital of the Kursk oblast, which provoked the anger of the Russian authorities. Pelda faces up to five years in prison.

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However, he is not the only journalist targeted by the Russian authorities. Since August 17, fourteen foreign journalists have been charged on similar grounds.

The governments of the countries of origin of these journalists, however, reacted in contrasting ways. In Romania, journalist Mircea Barbu benefits from strong public support from the authorities. Although an international arrest warrant has been issued against him, the Romanian Prime Minister, Marcel Ciolacu, strongly condemned this “blatant attack on press freedom” at the end of last week.

For his part, the President of the Senate, Nicolae Ciucă, praised Barbu’s courage, saying that he is “condemned for having had the courage to tell the truth about Kursk” and describing the Russian action as a “cynical attempt to silence critical voices.

The Romanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs also spoke out several times on the social network X to defend Barbu and expressed solidarity with all persecuted journalists, including Kurt Pelda.

And on the Swiss side?

How does the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA) react to the Russian procedure against our journalist Kurt Pelda? Caution is required.

The DFA took note that the person concerned crossed the Russian border, which, according to Moscow, justifies the current procedure. In other words, the DFA seems to believe that our journalist must assume the consequences of his reporting. Sources in Bern have also told Kurt Pelda that journalists are, for the Confederation, “citizens like any other”. Which “special people” would the FDFA provide more support to? The mystery remains.

The DFA nevertheless recalls that journalists play an essential role in guaranteeing access to free, independent and quality information, in times of peace as in times of war. No diplomatic action has yet been taken by the DFA in this matter.

Translated and adapted by Noëline Flippe

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