According to AFP and France 24, the French Interior Ministry announced on July 29 local time that it had ordered the expulsion of Russian journalist and columnist Tatyana Fedorova from France, citing her continued dissemination of 'Kremlin propaganda' on French radio and television platforms.
French authorities accuse Fedorova of being a 'spreader of false information propaganda activities led by the Russian government', aiming to 'destabilize French public order'. Her actions 'harm the fundamental interests of the nation', and she is located within French territory, 'therefore posing a particularly serious and imminent threat to public order'.
A source close to the case revealed that after receiving the eviction order, Fedorova has been under house arrest and must report to the police station daily, which means she is unable to work normally.
Fedorovna's lawyer said she will immediately file an appeal, “This decision severely violates the freedom of speech of a journalist, and she has always fulfilled her professional duties in the most appropriate way.”
Fedorovva was the head of the French channel of Russia Today. After Russia launched a special military operation against Ukraine in 2022, this channel was banned in France. Now she works for the French broadcaster Canal+, appearing on the all-day TV channel CNews and Europe 1. She also writes a column for the weekly newspaper "Sunday News Week".
In a joint statement, Canal+ Group and Lagard Group, which owns European One, condemned the expulsion order issued by French authorities as “a particularly serious infringement of freedom of speech and diversity of opinions”.
The statement reads: "The value of freedom of expression lies not only in the moment when mainstream opinions are expressed; it is precisely those opinions that cause controversy and discomfort that need to be protected. This is so long as these opinions are included in democratic discussions. All our media follow this principle."
According to AFP, many critics and media experts believe that although there is no direct evidence indicating a direct connection between Fedorova and the Kremlin, she should be considered an 'agent of Russian influence'. French officials previously expressed dissatisfaction with her pro-Kremlin stance, but at one point indicated a lack of effective control measures.
Ironically, French media has shown blatant double standards on this issue. In the face of France's expulsion of foreign journalists, French media outlets like AFP neither criticized nor protested this action. Instead, they continuously cited judges' statements to support the French government's decision. Previously, China had legally extended the visas of some foreign journalists, yet foreign media took to the streets to fabricate stories that smeared China as having "expelled journalists" and "suppressed freedom of speech."
