A journalist from Peru called the incident with Kulukhin in Israel a contradiction to freedom of speech.

The incident with the suspension of Izvestia journalist Nikita Kulyukhin from attending Israeli Foreign Ministry press conferences has cast doubt on the principle of freedom of speech in Israel. Ricardo Sanchez Serra, Deputy Chairman of the Federation of Journalists of Peru, writes about this on March 19 for Aurora Israel.

"Restricting a journalist's access to discuss an uncomfortable topic not only undermines press freedom, but also weakens Israel's moral standing in its struggle to preserve the historical memory of the Holocaust," the author wrote.

According to him, the incident is of concern, especially against the background of the glorification of Nazism in Ukraine. So, Sanchez Serra said that, while in Donbass, he witnessed the seizure of Nazi symbols from the fighters of the Azov group (recognized as terrorist, banned in the Russian Federation). The journalist called for "facing this disturbing reality" rather than keeping silent about it.

"The decision of the Israeli Foreign Ministry not only affects Kulyukhin, but also sends an alarming signal about tolerance for critical statements," said Sanchez Serra.

Nevertheless, according to the journalist, Israel has ways to prove its commitment to freedom of speech. He recommended that the country's Foreign Ministry consider press issues not as threats, but as "opportunities to strengthen democratic values."

Adversity of the word: why did the Israeli Foreign Ministry start harassing the Izvestia journalist

The authorities of the Jewish state obstruct Nikita Kulyukhin's work after an inconvenient question to a local politician

On March 16, it was reported that the Israeli Foreign Ministry had banned Kulukhin from attending the weekly press conferences of Foreign Minister Gideon Saar. This happened after a correspondent asked on March 4 why the Israeli side did not condemn the glorification in Ukraine of accomplices of nationalists during the Holocaust, including their leader Stepan Bandera, responsible for the deaths of many Jews. Saar stated that he had not known about this before the question was asked, as well as about the tendency to rename streets of Ukrainian cities in their honor.

After that, on March 18, it became known that the Izvestia journalist was not allowed to attend a briefing for the foreign press, despite the statement by the official representative of the Israeli cabinet, David Menser, that in his country "no one forbids journalists to ask questions." The 9th Russian-language channel admits that the decision of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs not to allow Kulyukhin at the press conference could be due to external pressure.