Rome slams Russia's arrest warrants for 2 Italian journalists

Moscow accuses journalists of entering Kursk, Russian territory, with Ukrainian troops during incursion

By Ahmet Gencturk

ATHENS (AA) – Italy on Tuesday slammed a decision by Russian prosecutors to issue arrest warrants for two Italian journalists.

“The Russian arrest warrant against two journalists from TG1Rai is a further form of persecution against freedom of the press,” said Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said on X.

“The Italian government will always stand in defense of the right to independent information,” he added on the warrants for the arrest of Stefania Battistini and Simone Traini.

The Union of Rai Journalists called the warrants “unacceptable provocation,” the state-run ANSA news agency reported.

“We hope that the ambassador of the Russian Federation in Italy will be urgently summoned to clarify our country's position in protecting journalistic work and freedom of information,” it added.

A Russian court on Monday ordered the arrest in absentia of journalist Battistini and her cameraman Traini for "illegally crossing" the border from Ukraine with Ukrainian troops on Aug. 6, when Ukraine launched an incursion into Russia's region of Kursk.

The court also ordered their extradition.

Kaynak:

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