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RT France head announces broadcaster's closure after Paris blocks its accounts

21 January 2023 21:46 (UTC +04:00)

RT France has announced its closure after the blocking of its bank accounts in France, APA reports citing Sputnik.

"After five years of harassment, the authorities in power have achieved their goal, the closure of RT France," the broadcaster said press statement published by its chief, Xenia Fedorova, on Saturday.

"Under the cover of the 9th package of sanctions against Russia, which does not target our channel, but its shareholder and parent company, the Directorate General of the Treasury has decided to freeze the bank accounts of RT France, making it impossible to continue our activity," the statement explained.

The broadcaster cited a series of recent articles and columns in French media which it said was designed to smear RT France.

"Clearly working with the authorities, some of our colleagues confused their role as journalists with that of policemen or judges, calling...for censorship of our media, and not hesitating to resort to false information, claiming, for example, that the activity of RT France was prohibited or illegal," the statement said.