Western governments sanctioned the Russian broadcaster not because of “disinformation” but to suppress dissenting voices, Chief Producer Dmitry Leontiev has said
Western efforts to censor RT have nothing to do with alleged “disinformation” but are aimed at suppressing dissenting voices, Chief Producer Dmitry Leontiev has told delegates at a UNESCO summit marking World Press Freedom Day.
Leontiev made the remarks on Tuesday at a UNESCO conference titled ‘Shaping a Future at Peace’ in Lusaka, Zambia that brought together journalists, policymakers, and digital rights advocates.
“We were banned by all Western countries a few years ago,” Leontiev said. “More than that, those Western governments coerced social media companies to ban us as well.”
He noted that it was “even more alarming” that Western governments openly pressed African countries to follow suit while threatening to sanction them if they allowed RT content.
He stressed that the sanctions on RT were imposed “under the guise of fighting disinformation” and never included accusations that the network was “saying anything false.”
“There are no false facts we are saying. We are stating information that the Western governments do not like, and they have enough power to sanction us.”
Leontiev then posed the question to the floor: “How do we put these two concepts together – fighting disinformation and press freedom?”
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