MOSCOW, Aug 2: Moscow is barring journalists from US television channel ABC from working in Russia after the channel broadcast an interview with Chechen leader Shamil Basayev, the foreign ministry said on Tuesday. Accreditations for ABC’s reporters would not be renewed and, in the meantime, they would be banned from talking to Russian officials, it said.

Free speech advocates have repeatedly criticized President Vladimir Putin’s government for restricting the Russian press, but this appeared to be the first action against a major Western media organization.

“ABC is now unwelcome to contact any Russian state organizations or bodies,” a foreign ministry statement said.

It said broadcasting the Basayev interview ‘was a clear case of helping to propagandize terrorism’ and accreditations for ABC workers would ‘not be renewed’.

There was no immediate US reaction, but one official said banning ABC journalists ‘would obviously be a concern’. The US-based Committee to Protect Journalists said: “This action reflects the Kremlin’s growing intolerance of any kind of criticism, especially in regard to its actions in Chechnya.”

CPJ Executive Director Ann Cooper’s statement said Russia was ‘clearly trying to intimidate foreign journalists into censoring their news reporting on the war in Chechnya. We call on the (foreign) ministry to reverse its decision immediately’.

Russia was outraged by the interview with Mr Basayev, who is its most wanted man and organized the bloodiest attacks of the 10-year Chechen war. Moscow summoned the US envoy to complain after it was broadcast last week.—Reuters