MOSCOW, May 19 (RIA Novosti) – The Kiev authorities have violated their obligations to ensure the freedom of the press by sanctioning the arrest of journalists, the Russian Foreign Ministry’s special representative for human rights, democracy and the rule of law has said.
"Unlawful de-facto arrests of journalists by the Ukrainian authorities must stop. They are the gravest violation of media freedom obligations," Konstantin Dolgov said on Twitter.
On Sunday, Russian news portal LifeNews said two of its journalists had been abducted near the Ukrainian city of Kramatorsk. Local self-defense forces claimed it was highly likely the journalists were detained by Kiev-controlled military units.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov earlier called for the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) to undertake the necessary measures to free the Russian journalists.
"The OSCE must do everything possible for the speedy freeing of the LifeNews journalists, detained by Ukraine's special forces," Dolgov said.
Journalists Oleg Sidyakin and Marat Saichenko last established contact with the editorial board in Moscow on Sunday at 1:50 p.m. Moscow time (09:50 GMT) as they were approaching a checkpoint near Kramatorsk. Their whereabouts remain unknown.
