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Warsaw’s sanctions against Russian journalists violate EU legislation, Zakharova says

Earlier, the Polish Office for Foreigners, under the request of the Military Counterintelligence Service, included Russian journalist, VGTRK special reporter Yevgeny Reshetnev to the list of undesired people

MOSCOW, March 16. /TASS/. Polish authorities’ decision to bar entry for Russian journalist Yevgeniy Reshetnev violates the EU Schengen legislation in favor of Warsaw’s Russophobic sentiments, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said in a statement Tuesday.

"We view this decision as yet another example of Polish authorities’ violation of the EU law in order to settle scores with undesired Russian citizens," she said in her commentary. "In substance, we are talking about Warsaw’s deliberate instrumentalization of its EU member status in favor of its local anti-Russian phobias."

The diplomat underscored that the allegations that Russian journalists allegedly threaten Poland’s national security have become a frequent pretext for repressions against them.

"Warsaw’s restrictions that flagrantly violate the fundamental democratic principle of the freedom of press and the right to disseminate information, do not correspond to high standards of human rights protection, proclaimed by the EU," she continued.

The Foreign Ministry spokeswoman also reminded that Polish authorities recently prolonged the entry ban for another Russian journalist Leonid Sviridov.

"A wide-scale campaign was fabricated against Sviridov in order to counter his journalist activity. In last 2014, the Polish Foreign Ministry, under a request of the Internal Security Agency, withdrew his journalist accreditation," the commentary says. "Later, despite the lack of legal grounds, he was stripped of his permanent EU residence permit. In December 2020, this decision was prolonged without notifying the victim."

Earlier, the Polish Office for Foreigners, under the request of the Military Counterintelligence Service, included Russian journalist, VGTRK special reporter Yevgeny Reshetnev to the list of undesired people. Poland entry ban lasts for five years, while Schengen Area entry ban lasts for 3 years.