MOSCOW (Sputnik) — Latvia's decision to ban the Sputnik news agency from dissemination within the.lv domain is nothing but "blatant censorship," Russia's Foreign Ministry said Tuesday.
"We call on the OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, as well as relevant international organizations to assess these discriminatory actions which, in fact, are nothing but a manifestation of blatant censorship," the ministry said in a statement.
By introducing the ban, Latvia also violates international conventions on media pluralism and freedom of expression, according to the ministry.
"Such government actions in regard to a news agency are another challenge to European values and democratic freedoms," the ministry added.
