Russia expels Dutch journalist Tom Vennink

Russia has expelled a Dutch reporter, his paper has said, arsenic Moscow continues its crackdown connected home and overseas journalists successful the country.

De Volkskrant writer Tom Vennink said that his visa was revoked and helium was fixed conscionable 3 days to permission the state pursuing difficulties renewing his writer accreditation.

The expulsion is the 2nd of a overseas writer successful caller months, pursuing Russia’s refusal successful August to widen BBC newsman Sarah Rainsford’s accreditation and allegedly ban her from the country arsenic a “security threat”.

Formally, Vennink was targeted by Russia’s interior ministry for 2 insignificant administrative violations, including a nonaccomplishment to registry his impermanent address, dating backmost to 2019. But an progressively bitter narration betwixt Moscow and Amsterdam appears to person played a relation successful the decision.

Vennink, a respected overseas analogous who has reported from Russia since 2015, said the expulsion came arsenic a surprise.

“Russian journalists look superior obstacles successful their work, but arsenic a overseas analogous I was capable to study comparatively freely connected Russia and the Russians for the past six years,” helium said. He is present backmost successful the Netherlands.

In an article published by the newspaper, editor-in-chief Pieter Klok said the expulsion was unprecedented for de Volkskrant, which has had a analogous successful Moscow since 1988.

“It is simply a enigma to us, wherefore the Russian authorities has decided this now,” Klok said. “In erstwhile years, specified administrative offences were ne'er an obstacle” to extending correspondents’ credentials.

Vennink’s expulsion comes arsenic geopolitical tensions betwixt Moscow and Amsterdam person accrued markedly. Court hearings are ongoing astatine the Hague implicit the 2014 shooting down of the MH17 rider pitchy implicit Ukraine that near astir 200 Dutch citizens dead. European governments person said the rocket that changeable down the level came from Russia, though Moscow denies this.

Russia besides protested against a caller Dutch appeals tribunal decision not to springiness it power of a trove of Scythian golden that was connected indebtedness from Crimean museums erstwhile Russia annexed the peninsula successful 2014.

Outgoing Dutch overseas curate Ben Knapen told the newspaper: “It is not acceptable for the Netherlands if a writer has to permission a state against his will.”

Russia has cracked down connected property freedoms successful the past year, targeting dozens of section journalists arsenic “foreign agents” and “undesirable organisations” aft a bid of high-profile leaks astir salient allies of Vladimir Putin and Russia’s quality services.

But overseas journalists were seldom targeted for expulsion until Rainsford was told her visa would not beryllium extended. Moscow said that the crushed was a UK refusal successful 2019 to accredit a newsman from authorities quality bureau Tass. Yet Rainsford besides said that she was told by borderline guards that she would not beryllium allowed backmost into Russia due to the fact that she was classified arsenic a nationalist information threat. She near the state astatine the extremity of August.