A senior BBC reporter who is about to be expelled Russia Condemned the country’s “increasingly repressive environment” for criticizing journalists.
Sarah Rainsford, her visa will expire at the end of this month, and Won’t update, Said that her upcoming departure was a result of “a serious deterioration in relations between Russia and the United Kingdom” and an attack on freedom of the press.
“I didn’t expect this to happen,” she told British Broadcasting Corporation Today’s show on Radio 4. “There are obvious signs in the Russian media-Russian independent journalists have recently encountered very serious problems-but until now, foreign media have been blocked in some way. This is a clear sign that things have changed.
“This is another very bad sign of the situation in Russia, another downturn in Russia’s relations with the world, and a sign that Russia is getting closer to itself.”
The national broadcaster Rossiya-24 first reported the decision on Thursday night, saying it was a response to Britain’s refusal or delay in issuing visas to Russian journalists, and past threats that Ofcom might deprive the Russian state-sponsored broadcaster RT’s license. .
The report also claimed that reporters from RT and state-owned Sputnik were not eligible to participate in the event. But the British Embassy in Moscow denied that any Russian journalists were discriminated against in the UK and condemned Rainsford’s effective expulsion as “regressive” and “unreasonable”.
Rainsford said she was caught in a broader diplomatic and political game.She said: “We have been formally informed that a case has been two years old and that a particular person has not been extended to stay in the UK as a reporter.” “I also got different reasons, including the British government imposing sanctions on Russian citizens for human rights violations. In Chechnya And corruption. “
When she was told that her visa would not be renewed, she said she told those who were sent to deliver the message: “I am not your enemy. I do my best to understand this country, tell its story, and the people here. The story. This is something very close to my heart. You are removing someone who understands Russia, talks directly with people, and tries to explain Russia to the world.”
She said that the Russian government does not want such people in the country. “Here, it is much easier to understand and can talk to people directly, listen to their stories and tell them fewer people,” she told Today. “This shows that the environment is becoming more and more difficult and depressing.”
After the country’s freedom of the press has been continuously attacked, she said that under extremely difficult circumstances, there are very few Russian journalists seeking independence and free reporting.
“They are here to find the media,” she said. “We wake up every day now to hear about other people being searched by the police in their apartments, other people appearing in court, or leaving the country. The number of people leaving this country now is extraordinary. I have never seen anything like this.”
