2012-12-20

The Russian Federation has denied Ukrainian journalist Oleg Khomenok entry into the country for the next five years.

KYIV - The Russian Federation has denied Ukrainian journalist Oleg Khomenok entry into the country for the next five years.

The decision was made 25th of September and the short notice from the “Federal Security Service of the Russian Federation” refers to an article 27 which states that “Entry into the Russian Federation for a foreign citizen or a stateless person is not allowed in the following cases:
1) it is necessary in order to ensure the defense or national security, or public order, or the protection of public health”.

Oleg Khomenok is the national coordinator for Scoopa support structure for investigative journalists in the Balkans, the Caucasus, Central Asia, Ukraine, Moldova, Belarus and Russia, in Ukraine and has also assisted colleagues in Belarus, where he in March this year was refused entry at the border and had to go back to Ukraine. Belarus and Russia cooperate in border control, and Mr. Khomenok was then also refused admission into the Russian enclave Kaliningrad, where Scoop had a seminar, on 29th of October.

The Danish Association for Investigative Journalism, together with International Media Support, has managed Scoop since 2003 has protested to the Russian authorities. Investigative reporting is absolutely no threat to Russian “national security, public order or public health”.

More information: oleg.khomenok [at] gmail.com or the Danish coordinator for Scoop Ukraine, Henrik Kaufholz henrik.kaufholz [at] pol.dk.