“The Kursk Leninsky District Court granted the motion of the regional office of the Russian Border Service to issue an arrest warrant for the Italian journalists Simone Traini and Stefania Battistini entered Russia illegally from Ukraine to film a television report on the Ukrainian situation”.
This was reported by the press service of the judiciary of the Kursk regionas reported by Interfax. The two journalists are outside Russia.
“TV cameraman Simone Traini and journalist Stefania Battistini, together with some unidentified people, entered the Russian Federation from Ukrainian territory with the intention of filming a television report on the invasion of the Sudzha district of the Kursk region by Ukrainian armed units with the help of tanks, artillery and light vehicles, armored vehicles on 6 August 2024”, the press service of the judiciary specified, writes the Interfax news agency.
“Traini and Battistini, after having illegally crossed the Russian border, went to Sudzha, in the Kursk region, with a transport vehicle of Ukrainian armed units. The two Italian journalists included in Russia’s wanted lists” are accused of having crossed the Russian state border. The judge ordered pre-trial detention for them, the statement continued. “They will be placed in custody on the day they are arrested on Russian territory or extradited to Russia, before a possible trial. The court’s decision has not yet entered into force and can be appealed,” he concludes.
Usigrai: “Unacceptable Russian request to arrest Tg1 journalists”
“The Russian request for extradition and the arrest order for Stefania Battistini and Simone Traini are an unacceptable provocation. Usigrai asks for a unanimous position from the government against this umpteenth intimidation against Italian journalists. We express all our concern for the contours that this matter is taking on, we renew our full solidarity with our colleagues from Tg1 and we hope that the ambassador of the Russian Federation in Italy will be urgently summoned to clarify our country’s position on the protection of journalistic work and freedom of information”. This was stated by the Usigrai executive.
Rai, “The request for Russia’s arrest demonstrates the importance of free information”
The arrest request made by the Russian authorities for Rai correspondents Stefania Battistini and Simone Traini, “guilty” of having carried out their work in the service of the public with great professionalism, is a demonstration of how democracy and free information are such precious values how indispensable. Precisely for this reason, following their example, the Public Service will continue to carry out its duty to inform citizens with scruple, pride and respect for the truth, in all fields. To Stefania and Simone go the gratitude, closeness, esteem and necessary assistance of all of Rai to guarantee their safety” Thus, in a note, the company comments on the news of the arrest request for the two correspondents of the Service Public.