Luke Harding, 'Guardian' Moscow Correspondent, Expelled From Russia

In what is believed to be the first removal of a British journalist from Russia since the end of the Cold War, the Guardian's Moscow correspondent Luke Harding has been expelled from Russia following the newspaper's reporting on the WikiLeaks cables.

As the Guardian is reporting:

The journalist flew back to Moscow at the weekend after a two-month stint reporting on the contents of the leaked US diplomatic cables from London, but was refused entry when his passport was checked on his arrival.

After spending 45 minutes in an airport cell, he was sent back to the UK on the first available plane - with his visa annulled and his passport only returned to him after taking his seat.

Harding was given no specific reason for the decision, although an airport security official working for the Federal Border Service, an arm of the FSB intelligence agency, told him: "For you Russia is closed."

Efforts by the British government to find out who or what specifically prompted the decision have so far been unsuccessful. Meanwhile, Alan Rusbridger, the Guardian's editor-in-chief, is slamming Harding's removal as "a very troubling development with serious implications for press freedom."

Among the various items that Harding reported on recently: WikiLeaks-linked allegations that Russia under the rule of Vladimir Putin had become a "virtual mafia state," and that the Russian premier was described as playing Batman to President Dmitry Medvedev as Robin.

Harding has co-authored a controversial book, WikiLeaks: Inside Julian Assange's War on Secrecy, which is being hyped as the "first full-scale biography'' of Assange. According to the AFP, British Foreign Secretary William Hague has telephoned the Russian foreign affairs ministry to seek an explanation for Harding's expulsion but as yet has received no response, the Foreign Office said.

Comments

[Ramkshrestha]

05:08 AM on 02/08/2011

Al-Jazeera is not available in most of the part of US, US fade off with Wiki-leaks and the journalist could not understand this may be or wanted to be brave.

[VKoval]

04:43 AM on 02/08/2011

there is only one rule in russia, do what the man in power says, and in this case it is mr putin. its the russian culture, if you dont know any russians it is hard to understand.

[Cougar29]

03:00 AM on 02/08/2011

Good for Russia. Al-Jazeera is not available in the US in most places, and we even bombed their offices during the war! Keep Khordokovsky locked up too I say for another 50 years..

[Pod-gers]

11:29 PM on 02/07/2011

Why is it that some countries prefer PR to unpopular speech?

[KIVPossum]

06:52 PM on 02/07/2011

Have it on good authority that the airport cell at SVO isn't that nice. No, you can't ask how I know

[hologuy]

06:52 PM on 02/07/2011

He was not expelled because of Wikileaks. That is just a wild guess. Who writes these headlines?

He could have been expelled for many reasons, and you can see samples of his typical articles. They are full of conjecture, even though he is never a witness to any of the things he writes about. He has a very contemptuous attitude toward his host country (not just the government), which is why I think he was denied entry.

[VKoval]

04:44 AM on 02/08/2011

you think having a contemptous attitude prevents someone from entering a country? id imagine many liberals would have to pack their bags.

[hologuy]

09:19 AM on 02/08/2011

It does in England. That's why they banned Michael Savage.

[nailinpalinnow]

04:15 PM on 02/09/2011

As far as contemptuous goes, you are not too shabby yourself.

[joseph449008]

06:38 PM on 02/07/2011

Assange wishes he'd only be expelled were he to enter US territory.

[29bela]

09:15 AM on 02/08/2011

Those who had the security under control should be sent to Russia. That would be more justified.