The Kremlin has condemned France’s decision to refuse accreditation to some Russian journalists for the Paris 2024 Olympics, calling it unacceptable and accusing French authorities of undermining media freedom. The move was announced after France’s caretaker interior minister, Gérald Darmanin, revealed that French security services had rejected more than 4,000 accreditation applications, citing concerns related to espionage and cyberattacks. Among those rejected were journalists from Russia and Belarus, a close ally of Moscow.
Darmanin noted that nearly a hundred applications were turned down specifically over espionage concerns. In response, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov stated that such decisions were “unacceptable” and “undermine the freedom of the media.”
He argued that France’s actions violated its commitments to the OSCE (Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe) and other international organisations dedicated to media freedom. Peskov also called on relevant human rights organisations to react to these decisions.
The controversy over media freedom has been heightened by recent developments involving Russia. On Friday, Russia faced international criticism for the conviction of U.S. reporter Evan Gershkovich, who was sentenced to 16 years in a maximum-security penal colony on charges of espionage.
The Wall Street Journal, Gershkovich’s employer, condemned the ruling as a “disgraceful sham,” asserting that Gershkovich was simply performing his duties as an accredited journalist in Russia. The Kremlin maintained that Gershkovich had been caught spying “red-handed,” though it provided no evidence before the verdict.
The strained relations between Russia and France have been further aggravated by the ongoing war in Ukraine. France has been a strong supporter of Ukraine, supplying military equipment and denouncing Russia’s actions. President Emmanuel Macron has labeled Russia as a significant adversary and warned that Europe’s credibility would be at stake if Moscow were victorious in the conflict.
