HRW says Russian police harass Norwegian TV crew in Sochi
| Publisher | Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty |
| Publication Date | 5 November 2013 |
| Cite as | Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, HRW says Russian police harass Norwegian TV crew in Sochi, 5 November 2013, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/528b689512.html [accessed 4 June 2023] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
November 05, 2013
By RFE/RL
Workers install the Olympic logo at the railway station in Sochi on October 29.
A rights group says police in southern Russia detained, harassed, and threatened to imprison two Norwegian television journalists who were on a reporting trip to Sochi, planned site of the 2014 Winter Olympics.
New York-based Human Rights Watch (HRW) said on November 5 that authorities "repeatedly detained and questioned the crew" from Norway's TV2 television over a period of three days.
HRW says that between October 31 and November 2, reporters Oystein Bogen and Aage Aunes were stopped by Russian traffic police six times in Russia's Republic of Adygea, just north of Sochi.
It says the two were detained three times and were "aggressively questioned" about their work in Sochi.
One official threatened Bogen with jail.
HRW said in a statement that the treatment dealt to the Norwegian reporters "should shock the International Olympic Committee" and urged the IOC to demand "a full explanation" from Russian authorities.
Link to original story on RFE/RL website
