Non-exclusive measure – Newspaper Kommersant No. 18 (7463) of 02/01/2023

The scandal surrounding the possible exclusion of the Russian Union of Journalists from the specialized International Federation (IFJ) began on Tuesday with a message from the agency Reuters. It stated that the unions of journalists in Finland, Norway, Denmark and Iceland intend to leave the IFJ for two reasons: corruption in the international trade union and the presence of the national Union of Journalists of the Russian Federation (UJR) in it. The IFJ denied allegations of corruption, but no statements were made regarding the Russian issue. The head of the UJR, Vladimir Solovyov, considers the “ultimatum” of colleagues from the northern countries “political” and points out that the IFJ “values” relations with Russia.

Representatives from Denmark, Iceland, Norway and Finland accused the IFJ on Tuesday of “undemocratic practices, unethical financial transactions.” The unions also said they would withdraw from its ranks unless Russia was expelled, mainly for the opening of regional branches in the DPR, LPR, Kherson and Zaporozhye regions (territories that the applicants do not recognize as Russian).

The International Federation of Journalists was founded in 1926 and is headquartered in Brussels. The federation currently includes more than 600 thousand journalists from 140 countries of the world (national unions – 187, since several countries from some countries, including Ukraine, the IFJ includes several associations).

As stated on the website IFJ, the organization “represents the interests of journalists within the UN system and the international trade union movement”, defends the social and professional rights of journalists, and “condemns the use of the media as propaganda”. Russia has been a member of the IFJ since 1996.

The Russian Union of Journalists is the largest component of the IFJ (about 70,000 people), reminds media lawyer Galina Arapova (included in the register of foreign agents). The IFJ ID “costs a small fee and entitles you to benefits such as free museum admission,” the expert explains. However, the IFJ document does not affect the work of Russian media abroad. “The IFJ certificate at the international level confirms the status of a journalist, which is often necessary,” Ms. Arapova told Kommersant. “But, as far as I know, basically everyone used this card while traveling as a basis for discounts in museums. Journalists in Europe have a lot of various benefits – they will be lost with the loss of an international card. And I’m not sure that it can be extended if the Russian journalist is not a member of the Union of Journalists of another country, which, in turn, is an active member of the international federation.”

The main advantage in the interaction between the UJR and the IFJ is not only the maintenance of international status, but also the organization of large-scale partner projects, the participation of Russian journalists in specialized international congresses and forums, notes the head of the Russian union Vladimir Solovyov.

As an example, he points to “the largest journalistic forum in Sochi” in 2021, where IFJ leaders were among the experts and guests of honor. Mr. Solovyov calls the relationship between the UJR and the President and General Secretary of the IFJ “good, productive and long-term”, which “both parties value”. “Now Russia is being excluded from many international public and sports organizations, a total purge is taking place,” Vladimir Solovyov told Kommersant. “But there are representatives of the Arab East, India, and Latin America in the leadership of the federation. Not everyone there agrees with the mainstream, they are sympathetic to the situation. In many international organizations, it is the Ukrainian unions that initiate the exclusion of Russia. There are two of them in the IFJ, but the Scandinavian countries, the Baltic countries and Germany also behave aggressively towards the SZHR. They are engaged in politics, while the task is to protect the rights of journalists. So far, we know that the northern unions – Finland, Norway, Denmark and other Swedes – in fact, delivered an ultimatum to the international organization, accusing the IFJ of corruption. In particular, the misappropriation of funds for the organization of the 31st IFJ Congress in the totalitarian country of Oman. Another claim is not the exclusion of the RJR for the creation of four new branches in four new territories.

The ultimatum, according to Mr. Solovyov, put the IFJ in “a very difficult situation: it will not only have to ‘justify itself’ because of allegations of corruption, but also solve the Russian issue.” At the same time, “the total contribution of these northern unions is much higher than the Russian one,” while the contribution to the IFJ from the Russian Federation annually amounts to “about €20,000,” explains the head of the UJR. “We are constantly in touch with Anthony Bellanger (IFJ General Secretary.— “b”), – says Mr. Solovyov. – There have not been any official statements from the international federation yet and, I think, there will not be. It must be understood that the exit process (from IFJ.— “b”) or freezing activities for a while is a long process, several months of consideration and discussion. One day such decisions are not made.”

It should be noted that at the time of the conversation between Kommersant and the head of the RJR, an official statement was made by IFJ Deputy Secretary General Jeremy Dear. He told Reuters that the federation “totally rejects false, defamatory and damaging allegations” of corruption.

Maria Starikova