A Spanish reporter was expelled from the Russian Federation for covering the actions of military wives
[ad_1]
The Russian authorities did not extend the visa of the correspondent of the Spanish newspaper “El Mundo” Xavier Colas and ordered him to leave within a day.
According to Kolas, writes “El Mundo”, he was threatened with problems if he does not leave before the visa expires. The reporter left Russia.
“It is difficult to suddenly stuff twelve years of your life into three suitcases in one night and close the door, knowing that the next day this apartment will become a forbidden territory for you. We, the correspondents, are where we are allowed to be, but we do not allow anyone to show us , what it says and what it doesn’t say,” says Kolas.
“El Mundo” notes that now the activity of foreign journalists in Russia is even more difficult than usual. Yes, the police came to Kolas’ home and warned him to stop writing about the actions of military wives who demand that their husbands be returned home. The newspaper calls these protests “one of the few visible signs of dissatisfaction with the war.”
Refusal to extend a journalist’s visa is a common tool of authoritarian regimes, which is used to undermine freedom of speech and prevent international publicity of what is happening in the country, El Mundo writes.
- After the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, censorship and pressure on journalists increased many times over. Many mass media were forced to move their offices abroad, others suspended their work or refused to cover the war. Media workers left en masse for other countries to continue covering the war and avoid criminal prosecution.
- In March 2023, Wall Street Journal correspondent Evan Hershkovich was detained in Yekaterinburg. According to the FSB of Russia, the journalist was commissioned by the United States to collect information about the enterprise of the Russian military-industrial complex, which constitutes a state secret. Hershkovich denies guilt. The journalist is still in the Moscow SIZO on charges of espionage.
[ad_2]
Original Source Link
