OSCE urges Poroshenko to exclude journalists from sanctions list

OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media Dunja Mijatovic called on Ukrainian President Petr Poroshenko on Thursday to exclude journalists from the list of people banned from entering Ukraine.

“I call on President Poroshenko to amend his decree and exclude journalists from it [the sanctions list,” Mijatovic said adding that “the authorities should facilitate the work of journalists and abstain from creating administrative obstacles to the entry.”

“I fully respect governments’ legitimate right to fight terrorism and to protect their national security and their citizens,” Mijatovic noted. “But introducing over-broad restrictions that curb free movement of journalists is not the way to ensure security”.