Austria summons Russia envoy after journalist told to leave

(ANSA-AFP) - VIENNA, JUN 26 - Austria on Wednesday summoned Russia's representative in the country to protest over what it called Moscow's "unprecedented" withdrawal of media accreditation of an Austrian journalist. ORF journalist Carola Schneider had her accreditation withdrawn on Wednesday and was asked to leave the country, the Austrian broadcaster said. She is the second ORF journalist to lose her accreditation, leaving the public broadcaster without a journalist in Russia. "The withdrawal of the accreditation of Carola Schneider, office manager and last ORF employee in Moscow, is unprecedented," said a foreign ministry statement. "We condemn this unjustified and unacceptable step. This represents another arbitrary, baseless attack on the free press in Russia," it added. The ORF called the decision "an arbitrary act against independent reporting".
    Schneider started her stint in Moscow in 2011. The Russian foreign ministry said in a statement that the move against Schneider was a "forced retaliatory measure in connection with the continuing discrimination against representatives of Russian media in Austria." (ANSA-AFP).