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Poland doesn't explain stripping Russian journalist of residence permit — foreign ministry

The Russian Foreign Ministry said it considered the Polish authorities’ decision to be "blatant disregard of the international media obligations and the European Union human rights regulations"

MOSCOW, December 8. /TASS/. Poland has neglected international obligations by stripping a Russian journalist of his residence permit and giving no reasonable explanation of this move, the Russian Foreign Ministry said on Tuesday.

Leonid Sviridov, a Warsaw-based correspondent of the Russian news agency Rossiya Segodnya (formerly known as RIA Novosti), was stripped of his residence permit on November 13, 2015 and ordered to leave the country in 30 days. In October last year the Polish Foreign Ministry revoked Sviridov's accreditation upon a request from the Polish Internal Security Agency.

"Despite numerous requests from the journalist and from the Russian side, and public appeals Warsaw did not reconsider its unjust decision, and failed and did not want to give any reasonable explanations of their accusations," the ministry said. "This confirms that correspondent is being persecuted for his professional activities."

The ministry said it considered the Polish authorities’ decision to be "blatant disregard of the international media obligations and the European Union human rights regulations."

The ministry expressed hope that Poland’s judicial system will deal with the case, "giving him back the opportunity to work freely as correspondent."