MOSCOW (Sputnik) — The European Parliament voted on Wednesday in favor of the resolution which targeted a range of Russian media outlets, such as the Sputnik news agency and the RT broadcaster. The document was passed by 304-179 votes, with 208 abstentions. With a total of 691 officials taking part in the vote, less than a half supported the resolution.
"The resolution isn’t — thanks for that — binding for media or NGOs working with media issues, and I don’t think parliaments or governments should restrict Russian media organizations unless we are talking of clear violations of media laws," Kaufholz said.
Sputnik responded by calling the move a direct violation of media freedom and human rights, while Russian President Vladimir Putin commented on the matter by pointing out that the document indicates a degradation of democracy in the West. Praising Sputnik and RT for their work, the president expressed hope that real media restrictions would not follow.
