Czech President Milos Zeman holds a mock assault rifle with the inscription “At journalists” and a bottle of Becherovka liquor instead of the ammunition clip presented him at a news conference on Oct. 20. (Miroslav Chaloupka/CTK/AP)Czech President Milos Zeman has long been an admirer of President Trump. Speaking at a news conference, Zeman held up a mock assault rifle with an inscription that can be translated as “Toward journalists” or “At journalists.” A bottle of Czech liquor was inserted where the ammunition clip would normally go. The incident was featured on front pages across the continent and provoked outrage over attempts by governments to limit press freedom in Malta and elsewhere. The organization blamed “draconian laws and website blocking,” along with a national and local crackdown on critics for the declining press freedom in Russia.

Source: Washington Post October 23, 2017 10:27 UTC