MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 02nd June, 2020) US police actions against journalists violate legal rights of reporters, which are enshrined not only in international law, but also in the US constitution, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on Monday.
On Sunday, RIA Novosti correspondent Mikhail Turgiyev was pepper-sprayed in the face by a Minneapolis police officer despite identifying himself as a reporter, while covering protests against police brutality and racism in the United States. A VICE television crew was also affected during the incident. The protests were sparked by the death of African American man George Floyd while in police custody. Rossiya Segodnya International Information Agency demanded an investigation into the actions of the police. The Russian Foreign Ministry previously regarded the Turgiyev incident as a manifestation of unjustified brutality. Minnesota Governor Tim Walz apologized to reporters who had been detained or attacked by the police on Sunday night. The Russian Embassy in the US, in turn, sent a note to the US State Department.
"What we saw, and in particular I am talking about the Russian journalist, � although why should we separate Russian journalists from foreign ones � what is happening in the United States with respect to all journalists is not only a violation of their legal rights. This is in principle a violation of both domestic US laws, the US constitution, and all fundamental international legal documents," Zakharova told the Rossiya 24 broadcaster.
