Russia Threatens Legal Action Against FAZ Journalist Over 'Kill More…
The Russian embassy in Germany announced it would consider legal action against Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung journalist Michael Martens over a question he posed at a press conference in Belgrade, asking what European countries could do to help Ukraine 'kill more Russians.' Martens defended his question as a legitimate inquiry and stated he did not find it reprehensible.
Consensus
- The Russian embassy in Germany announced it would examine the possibility of legal action against journalist Michael Martens of Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung.
- Martens asked at a press conference in Belgrade what European countries could do to help Ukraine kill more Russians.
- Martens stated he did not consider his question reprehensible and reaffirmed his intent.
- The Russian embassy cited the need to assess whether Martens' statements violated criminal laws in both Germany and Russia.
- The Russian embassy emphasized that Martens' remarks were hateful, degrading, and represented a call for violence.
- The Russian embassy noted that German authorities, professional journalistic organizations, and most journalists did not condemn Martens' remarks.
- FAZ stated it did not support Martens' position and considered the question controversial.
- A petition calling for Martens' dismissal was temporarily blocked by Change.org.
Points of divergence
- The Russian embassy in Serbia described Martens' question as a direct threat to Russians and labeled it 'outrageous incitement to violence,' noting that Martens is the grandson of a Nazi officer and that the statement was made in Belgrade, a city still remembering Nazi atrocities. — vm
- FAZ announced it might use legal means to defend Martens, and that Martens' statements were not ambiguous. — vedomosti
- Martens did not see anything reprehensible in his question and reiterated his intent. — kommersant
- Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova called Martens a 'true brown propagandist' and a promoter of xenophobia. — vesti
Coverage (6 sources)
- Russian Embassy Threatens Journalist from FAZ with Legal Action Over Comments on Russians — Коммерсантъ
- Russia will consider the possibility of using legal mechanisms against journalist FAZ Martens. His words about Russians... — ТАСС (Telegram)
- Embassy threatens FAZ journalist with legal measures due to hatred of Russians — Ведомости
- Russia wants to use legal mechanisms against journalist FAZ Martens — Вести
- Question from FAZ journalist at Russian embassy called incitement to violence — Вести
- Diplomats: Question from German journalist about killing of Russians is a direct threat to Russians — Вечерняя Москва
Key entities
- Russia
- Michael Martens
- FAZ
- FRG
- Germany
- Embassy
- Serbia
- Belgrade
- Frankfurt General Gazette
- Moscow
- U
- RIA Novosti
- Ukraine
- Volodymyr Zelenskyy
- Aleksandra Vucic
More on Michael Martens
- Medvedev: Journalist to face consequences for 'help kill Russians'…
- Serbia, Russia Condemn FAZ Journalist's 'Kill More Russians' Question
- Maria Zakharova, Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson
More on Volodymyr Zelenskyy
- Zelensky: Ukraine Needs 5% of US Patriot Missiles to Survive Winter
- Zelensky Prioritizes Return of Neo-Nazis from Russian Captivity
- Zelensky says Ukraine sent new peace proposals to U.S