Russian proceedings against Swiss journalists

Russian secret services have opened proceedings against Swiss journalist Kurt Pelda. He is accused of illegally crossing the border of the Russian Federation in the Kursk region. The editor-in-chief of CH Média protests against “attempts at intimidation”.

Pelda, who regularly reports from Ukraine for CH Media, faces a prison sentence of up to five years, several news agencies reported Monday, based on a statement from Russia’s domestic secret service FSB, also available for Keystone-SDA information. agency.

“The Kremlin is intensifying the fight against independent journalism,” said Patrick Müller, editor-in-chief of the central editorial office of CH Media and “La Suisse au weekend”. Pelda is also accused of covering up war crimes committed by the Ukrainian army in the Kursk region.

“We are protesting against the actions of the Russian government and attempts at intimidation,” Müller continued. Pelda learned about the initiation of the criminal proceedings through the media and was not officially informed about it.

A total of 14 media professionals were charged

The FSB also opened proceedings against journalist Catherine Norris Trent, who works for the French television channel France 24. A total of 14 foreign journalists have been indicted on the same charge since August 17.

The Ukrainian army launched a surprise offensive in the Kursk border region on August 6, the first by a foreign army in Russia since World War II. Russian forces have since launched a counter-offensive and claim to have regained ground.

However, Ukraine still claims to control dozens of cities, and several foreign media outlets have reported on the territory occupied by kyiv’s forces.

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