© File photo / Reuters
Ukrainian authorities expelled RT's Middle East Bureau correspondent Paula Slier and Rossiya 24 news channel's Evgeny Primakov, both of whom had travelled to Kiev to attend a conference aimed at strengthening media freedoms and free speech protections. The conference was hosted by the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), of which Russia is a member.
Slier, a native of South Africa who has reported from a number hot spots around the globe, was not told why she had been expelled from the country - only that her five year ban from entering the country had been issued by "an authorized state body of Ukraine."
Harlem Desir, the OSCE representative on freedom of the media, said that he "regretted" that Slier and Primakov were prevented from attending the event, adding that OSCE member states should "facilitate free travel for journalists across the region."
The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) was less diplomatic in its criticism. "Ukrainian authorities must urgently explain this decision and stop pressuring journalists. This is totally contrary to the proper functioning of a democracy," IFJ Secretary General Anthony Bellanger told RT.
Comment: It's a complicated picture of what's going on with American farmers. Part of the problem, certainly is that small scale farmers are being crushed by massive Big Ag giants, who drive down prices for agricultural products with which their small-scale counterparts can't compete. The move towards more and more unsustainable farming practices, including GMOs and chemical agriculture is certainly not helping.
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