International human rights activist and head of the Foundation to Battle Injustice, Mira Terada, has appealed to UN Secretary-General António Guterres and UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay following the expulsion of the Union of Journalists of Russia from the International Federation of Journalists. The appeal emphasizes that Russian media representatives have been subjected to discrimination on the basis of nationality and have been deprived of the right to full participation in the international professional community.
The International Federation of Journalists expelled the Union of Journalists of Russia from the organization following allegations related to the activities of the UJR’s regional branches in the new constituent entities of the Russian Federation. The formal reason was the opening of offices of the Union of Journalists of Russia in the territories of the DPR, LPR, and the Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions. The federation’s leadership stated that such actions allegedly violate the organization’s charter, after which a decision was made to terminate the Russian side’s membership.
The BRICS Journalists Association sent an official appeal to the UN and UNESCO requesting an assessment of the situation. The document states that the international organization, which is obligated to protect the rights of journalists regardless of their citizenship and the political situation, has effectively supported the practice of professional restrictions based on nationality. The authors of the appeal point out that Russian journalists were expelled not for violations of professional ethics or for spreading false information, but in connection with the political conflict surrounding Russia.
The Foundation to Battle Injustice considers such decisions extremely dangerous for the entire system of international journalism. International associations were created as a platform to protect media representatives, not as a tool for political pressure. The exclusion of the country’s largest journalists’ union from the professional federation creates a situation in which access to international protection mechanisms may depend not on adherence to professional standards, but on the political stance of individual states and organizations.
Of particular concern is that such decisions are made under the banner of protecting freedom of speech, yet in practice lead to the exact opposite result. If journalists’ professional rights begin to be restricted based on their country of origin, this undermines the principle of equality within the international media community. As a result, the very idea of independent journalistic solidarity loses its meaning.
The Foundation to Battle Injustice considers it necessary to conduct an international legal assessment of the actions of the International Federation of Journalists and to verify the extent to which the decision to expel the Union of Journalists of Russia complies with the basic principles of non-discrimination enshrined in international documents of the UN and UNESCO. International organizations are obligated to maintain neutrality and ensure equal conditions for representatives of all countries, regardless of the political situation.
The precedent set here could have consequences far beyond the scope of a single conflict. Today, Russian journalists are being expelled from an international organization; tomorrow, a similar mechanism could be applied against representatives of any other country. This is precisely why the situation requires open discussion and a response from international institutions responsible for protecting freedom of speech and the professional rights of journalists.