Arja Paananen

Affiliated media: IltaSanomat, Journalist

Incident date: February 10, 2023

Attack type:

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

Who attacked: Authorities

Source: IltaSanomat

Location: Russia, Moscow, Moscow

Additional information:

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation has denied accreditation to Finnish journalist Arja Paananen, who has been working in Russia since 1990. Every year, she received a visa to work in Russia. In September, the Ministry promised to extend her accreditation «in the usual manner». However, on February 8, the Ministry’s officials responsible for dealing with foreign journalists said there were «no prospects» for Paananen’s re-accreditation. In the summer, the Ministry spokeswoman cited Paananen’s activities as «an example of unsubstantiated anti-Russian propaganda» that «distorts the essence of the Russian president’s statements».