Vasily Krestyaninov
Affiliated media: The Insider, Associated Press , Photojournalist
Incident date: September 3, 2022
Attack type:
- Ban on entering the country, denial or revocation of a visa / accreditation
Who attacked: Authorities
Source: apsny.ge
Location: Georgia, Tbilisi
Additional information:
On September 3, a border guard at Tbilisi International Airport denied entry to Vasily Krestyaninov, a photojournalist for The Insider and stringer for Associated Press. Kresyaninov was returning to Tbilisi, where he has lived since November 2021, from the Free Russia Forum in Vilnius with a connection in Yerevan. Krestyaninov himself told The Insider that he was not asked any questions at Tbilisi airport. A border guard officer «demonstratively photographed» his passport and sent the photo to his management. An hour later, the journalist was approached by a police officer, who said he had to get back on the plane to Yerevan. He did not say the reasons for the refusal and handed Krestyaninov’s passport to the senior flight attendant. Krestyaninov «miraculously» managed to get a document stating the reason for the refusal, and learned that he was not allowed into Georgia «for other reasons». In Yerevan, the document was taken away by the border service officers.