Benjamin Quénelle

Affiliated media: Le Monde (France), Correspondent

Incident date: February 5, 2025

Attack type:

• Ban on entering the country, denial or revocation of a visa / accreditation

Who attacked: Authorities

Source: Le Monde

Location: Russia, Moscow, Moscow

Additional information:

After initially having his press accreditation suspended in November 2024, Le Monde's correspondent in Moscow Benjamin Quénelle was notified by the Russian authorities of the cancellation of this document, which effectively prohibits him from exercising his profession in Russia. As indicated by the Russian Foreign Ministry, this ban on working in the country is a retaliatory measure following Paris's refusal to issue press visas to journalists from the daily Komsomolskaya Pravda. For the first time since 1957, Le Monde is prevented from having a correspondent based in Moscow. Quénelle had spent more than 20 years in Russia without interruption, first working for French newspapers La Croix and Les Echos, before joining Le Monde.