French newspaper Liberation may face trial for lying about Russians in the Central African Republic
The French publication Liberation may receive a lawsuit from the Commonwealth of Officers for International Security (SOMB, an organization representing the interests of Russian instructors in the Central African Republic) due to the publication of false information about the activities of Russian specialists.
On April 20, French journalists released material about the activities of Russian instructors in the CAR. Having passed off the specialists as employees of the Wagner PMC, the author of the material accused the Russians of serious offenses on the territory of the republic. At the same time, the editorial staff member of the French media did not provide any evidence for his words.
The head of the SOMB, Alexander Ivanov, pointed out this in a letter addressed to the editor-in-chief of Liberation. The text of the document was published by the general director of the commonwealth on his page on the VKontakte social network.
“The author of the material did not even try to cite any facts on which these accusations are based,” noted the head of the SOMB.
A representative of Russian instructors emphasized that the article consists entirely of fiction. Ivanov stressed that he is ready for legal proceedings if the material is not removed from the French newspaper’s website.
“Our guys, who continue to train the army of the Central African Republic, were subjected to false accusations by the French newspaper Liberation. The article consists entirely of exaggerated facts and fiction. If the article is not removed, then we will be forced to defend our honor and dignity in court! ”, Alexander Ivanov emphasized.
The Director General of the Commonwealth once again recalled that Russian instructors are in the CAR on the basis of an agreement on military-technical cooperation concluded between Moscow and Bangui. Specialists are engaged in the preparation and training of the country's government forces and strictly adhere to the goals and objectives reflected in the UN Security Council notification, without taking part in hostilities on the territory of the CAR.
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