The head of Russia’s Federal Migration Service Konstantin Romodanovsky on Thursday said that a decision to expel prominent French journalist and writer Anne Nivat from Russia has been overturned.
“Your colleague could now return to Russia, I suppose,” Romodanovsky told journalists at a press conference.
On Monday, Russian writer Andrei Dmitriev said on his Facebook page that Russian immigration authorities told Nivat she must leave the country. Nivat, who is working on a book on the current political situation in Russia, confirmed that her Russian visa has been annulled.
Nivat, speaking from France, told RIA Novosti that Russian immigration officials in the provincial town of Vladimir detained her and gave her three days to leave the country. While the formal reason given was violation of visa rules, she said that officials who questioned her made clear that her meetings with opposition politicians were undesirable.
Romodanovsky launched an investigation into the case. “The investigation showed that the decision was wrong.” The head of the Migration Service in Vladimir Region, Oleg Brechko, was fired over the incident.
