WorlPosted at: Aug 9 2021 12:12PM Foreign agent media retain all rights to be accredited to cover Russia's elections: CEC
Moscow, Aug 9 (UNI/Sputnik) Media outlets labeled as foreign agents in Russia retain the same rights and opportunities to be accredited to cover the upcoming parliamentary elections as all other outlets, the Russian Central Election Commission (CEC) chairwoman, Ella Pamfilova, said in an interview with Sputnik.
"Media outlets that are recognized as foreign agents are not disadvantaged, they retain all the same rights and opportunities to be accredited through submitting a notification and they can work and cover what is happening at the polling stations like all other media outlets. The only point is, in accordance with the law, they must properly label their materials, indicating that they are foreign agents. But this is beyond our purview. We do not impose any additional restrictive measures against them within our purview," Pamfilova said.
Pamfilova described CEC's accreditation procedure as "absolutely liberal", with no restrictions imposed on media representatives to work at polling stations.
"We are streamlining things to enable journalists to be present at polling stations based on the principle of notification. We are highly interested in this, as journalists are our partners in ensuring that the elections are covered as objectively as possible," Pamfilova concluded.
The elections to the State Duma, the lower house of Russia's parliament, will take place from September 17-19.
UNI/SPUTNIK ASN