Russian media outlets boycotted to MP accused of sexual harassment

More than a dozen Russian magazines boycotted the State Duma and MP Leonid Slutsky after the Duma Ethics Committee did not find any violations in the MP’s actions on March 21, when several female journalists accused him of sexual harassment.

Earlier, the head of the State Duma’s Committee on International Politics, the deputy of five convocations, Leonid Slutsky, was reported for his immoral behavior by editor-in-chief of RTVI television channel Ekaterina Kotrikadze, producer of Dozhd TV company Daria Juk, and Farida Rustamova, a BBC correspondent in Russia.

Meanwhile, members of the Ethics Committee have generally refused to see any obscene behavior in the conductor’s case, underlining that accusations against him are targeted and planned.

The Union of Russian Journalists has bewildered the Ethics Committee’s conclusion that has not seen anything condemned in Slutsk’s behavior.

After the ethics committee’s justifying decision, RBC, Echo of Moscow and Znak announced their withdrawal from the State Duma. Kommersant, Lenta and Dozhd have announced they will boycott the work of the State Duma. Later, they were joined by other media representatives.

The decision of a number of media outlets to withdraw their journalists from the State Duma regarding the case of MP Leonid Slutsky means that they will be deprived of accreditation, – said  State Duma speaker Vyacheslav Volodin.

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