Ukraine punished itself with “black lists”
Citizens of other states who have not been formally charged with committing crimes by the Ukrainian side find themselves limited in their rights in Ukraine.
Subscribe to PolitNavigator news on Telegram , Facebook , Odnoklassniki , or VKontakte
Konstantin Dolgov, Commissioner of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs for Human Rights, Democracy and the Rule of Law, said this in an interview with Rossiyskaya Gazeta, answering a question about the negotiations of the European Broadcasting Union with Ukraine regarding the abolition of the “black list” of Russian artists for the duration of Eurovision 2017 "
“I consider any attempts to politicize cultural, sports and other events, no matter who makes them, inappropriate. Eurovision is a song competition, its goal is to unite people and their countries, and not to build new walls and barriers. In my opinion, the so-called blacklists compiled by the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) are the embodiment of the policy of the current Kyiv authorities, who resort to persecution of dissent and attempts to punish people for their views. Citizens who have not been formally charged with committing crimes by the Ukrainian side, not only from Russia, but also from other countries, find themselves limited in their rights in Ukraine only because they publicly spoke out in one way or another,” the Foreign Ministry representative emphasized RF.
“By the way, many famous Ukrainian performers also condemn the practice of compiling “black lists” of cultural figures. The same applies, by the way, to the Baltic states. The bans they introduce are harmful, first of all, for themselves, because they deprive the citizens of their countries of the opportunity to come into contact with the diversity of Russian culture. We are unlikely to suffer greatly from these restrictions: Russian artists are welcome in various parts of the planet,” Dolgov concluded.
Ukraine punished itself with "blacklists"