Alexander Rubinstein and Evan Engel, who were on assignment for Russia’s RT channel and US broadcaster Vocativ, were detained during the riots in Washington, D.C. after President Donald Trump’s inauguration. The United States should guarantee that constitutional rights and international norms are respected in the case initiated against two reporters, stated representatives of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe.
“The media has a critical role to play in democracies by providing transparency as well as accountability of the exercise of state power,” OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media Dunja Mijatovic said in a statement, reports Russian State News Agency TASS.
“This public watchdog function is especially important around the time of elections and during changes of government, including at the time of inauguration. As long as it is not proved that journalists have taken a direct and active part in hostilities themselves, their activities during public demonstrations should be left unimpaired,” she continued.
