France Dismisses Moscow’s Claims of Discriminatory Visa Denials for Russian Journalists

The French government has rejected allegations from Moscow that it refused visas to two Russian journalists in retaliation for the Kremlin’s decision to deny a work permit extension to French journalist Benjamin Quénelle.

A spokesperson for the French Foreign Ministry addressed the matter on Friday, denying that the decision was an act of reciprocity and affirming that France would reassess the situation. “This is yet another obstacle to the freedom to inform, at a time when working conditions for journalists in Russia, whether Russian or foreign, are already extremely poor and press freedom is not respected.”

Earlier on Friday, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov strongly criticized France, accusing it of “unleashing a campaign of harassment against Russian media” after two journalists from the Russian news outlet Izvestia were denied visas. These journalists had planned to cover the upcoming commemorations of the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II, scheduled to take place this year.

According to Peskov, the French Embassy in Moscow informed the journalists that they were considered a threat to France’s public order and national security.

Russia Blocks French Journalist’s Permit for First Time Since 1957

On February 5, Le Monde, one of France’s most respected newspapers, revealed that Russian authorities had revoked the press accreditation of its journalist, Benjamin Quénelle, who had been covering Russia for 20 years.

The decision was later confirmed by Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova, who acknowledged that Quénelle had been caught in a diplomatic dispute. “Despite our repeated attempts to raise this issue, they decided not to issue a visa to the Komsomolskaya Pravda reporter…we retaliated against a Le Monde journalist who happened to be the next in line for obtaining a journalist visa for working in Russia.”

This marks the first time since 1957 that Le Monde will not have a correspondent based in Moscow, a fact highlighted by the newspaper’s director, Jérôme Fenoglio. “For the first time since 1957, Le Monde is prevented from having a correspondent based in Moscow.”

In response to the situation, the International Federation and the European Federation of Journalists (IFJ-EFJ) have called on Russian authorities to reconsider their decision and reinstate Quénelle’s accreditation, expressing their full support for the journalist. 

By fLEXI tEAM