(CJES/IFEX) – The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia (MID) has denied an entry visa to the Caucasus Editor and Project Coordinator for the Institute of War and Peace Reporting (IWPR) in London, Mr. Thomas de Vaal. The journalist sought entry in response to an invitation from the Russian Union of Journalists (RUJ) to participate […]
(CJES/IFEX) – The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia (MID) has denied an entry visa to the Caucasus Editor and Project Coordinator for the Institute of War and Peace Reporting (IWPR) in London, Mr. Thomas de Vaal. The journalist sought entry in response to an invitation from the Russian Union of Journalists (RUJ) to participate in the launching ceremony for the Russian translation of his book “Black Garden”, focusing on the events and situation in Nagorny Karabakh.
The MID invoked a law which allows the denial of entry to foreigners if considered necessary to guarantee the safety of the state. In the official justification for the visa denial, of which CJES has a copy, it is written: “According to item 1 of clause 27 of the Federal Law from August, 15th, 1996 114-FZ, ‘On order of departure from the Russian Federation and entrance to the Russian Federation’, the citizen of Great Britain, Mr. De Vaal Thomas Patrick, born 12/7/1966, is not allowed to enter the territory of the Russian Federation”. The document was signed by the chief of registration for the invitations department, Mr. N. Kurakov.
“We are sure that the denial of the visa is, first of all, related to the fact that Thomas de Vaal wrote about the Chechen Republic. This theme was present in his articles when he was a correspondent for ‘The Moscow Times’ and ‘The Times'”, said CJES Director Oleg Panfilov.
Panfilov also noted that de Vaal “is known as well for having been a witness in London in the legal proceedings on the possible extradition of Ahmed Zakaev”.
As de Vaal told Panfilov, he was surprised by the visa denial since, after having served as witness on the legal proceedings for Ahmad Zakaev in London, “he has already twice visited Russia”.
According to de Vaal, his visa denial, and especially its justification on grounds of his being a “threat to safety of Russia”, “is ironic enough”, considering he had communicated with MID employees and other officials, some of whom had even been invited to the launching of his book in Moscow.
Panfilov observes that it not the first time authorities have forbidden entrance to foreign journalists: “Since 2000, we have collected a list of names of journalists who have been denied Russian entry visas, and this list now contains more than 30 names. I think that all this is connected with the Chechen Republic because almost all those journalists to whom a visa was denied either had worked in the Chechen Republic or wrote about it, as is the case with Thomas de Vaal”.
