Russia’s envoy slammed the international body’s “lack of reaction” to a war reporter having been killed
FILE PHOTO: Russian envoy to the UN, Vasily Nebenzia © Sputnik / Nancy Sisel
The UN and international journalist associations demonstrate a “certain selectiveness” when it comes to the fate of journalists, Russia’s envoy to the UN, Vasily Nebenzia, said at a press conference on Monday.
“Yesterday, a Russian blogger and journalist [Vladlen] Tatarsky… was killed. The UN, journalist associations have not reacted in any way to this crime,” Nebenzia said, comparing what he called a lack of reaction in Tatarsky’s case to the response given by the US media and officials to the arrest of Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich in Russia.
“We believe we are witnessing a certain selective approach when it comes to what happens to journalists,” the diplomat added.
His words came as the UN Secretary General’s Office expressed its “concern” over Tatarsky’s death. The office will await more information, Stephane Dujarric, a spokesman for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, told a briefing on Monday.
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Tatarsky was killed in a bomb blast on Sunday while meeting with followers in a café in St. Petersburg. The Kremlin characterized the incident as a terrorist attack. Russia’s Interior Ministry released a video appearing to show the main suspect in the case, a woman identified as Darya Trepova, who admitted to bringing an improvised explosive device to the event.
The incident prompted little reaction among Western officials or international organizations, although it was covered by the Western media.
American journalist Evan Gershkovich was arrested in Russia last week on suspicion of espionage activities. According to Russian authorities, he was caught “red handed” while seeking to obtain state secrets under the guise of journalism.
His arrest prompted US Secretary of State Antony Blinken to call Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov to discuss the issue. The WSJ also demanded that all Russian journalists and the country’s envoy be expelled from the US, saying it is the “minimum to expect” in this case. The Kremlin brushed off such demands as “absurd.”
