BBC to resume reporting from Russia in English despite new media law

London, Mar 8 (EFE).- The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) announced that it will resume reporting in English from Russia starting Tuesday evening after temporarily suspending the activities of its journalists in that country late last week due to the passage of a law mandating jail time for spreading “fake news,” particularly about the Russian army.

The law is part of Moscow’s efforts to stifle domestic dissent over the ongoing war in Ukraine after the Kremlin’s invasion of the neighboring country in late February.

“After careful deliberation we have decided to resume English-language reporting from Russia this evening (Tuesday 8 March), after it was temporarily suspended at the end of last week,” the BBC said in a statement.

The channel said that it has now “considered the new legislation alongside the urgent need to report from inside Russia,” adding that “We will tell this crucial part of the story independently and impartially, adhering to the BBC’s strict editorial standards.”

The public network said that the “safety of our staff in Russia remains our number one priority.”

Last Friday, BBC general director Tim Davie said that the firm’s reporters were running the risk of criminal prosecution and potentially facing prison terms of up to 15 years “simply for doing their jobs.”

As a result, the firm decided to temporarily halt its reporting activities in Russia until “all the implications” of the legislation approved by Moscow had been thoroughly analyzed.

Several other foreign media outlets also have suspended their reporting from Russia, including The New York Times, CNN and CBS, Canada’s CBC/Radio-Canada, Germany’s ARD and ZDF and Bloomberg News.

EFE gx/er/si/bp