MOSCOW, April 24 (RAPSI) – Russia’s criminal procedure legislation needs amendments to eliminate the antinomies related to the assurance of journalists’ rights, Chairman of the Presidential Council for Human Rights Mikhail Fedotov said at a round-table conference on Wednesday.

There is a global trend to the press freedom slowdown, Fedotov said. The most widespread breaches are violation of freedom of expression, media pluralism, independence and safety of journalists, he added.

Current legislation gives journalist a right not to disclose their information sources, but it does not protect them from law enforcement searches. According to Fedotov, this is a serious antinomy. Moreover, he stated that criminal cases are rarely opened over obstructing professional activity of journalists despite a large number of such violations.