The measure thus places the two elected officials at the center of the Fedorova affair, named after the journalist whose departure they requested.
The two lawmakers had called for Xenia Fedorova’s residence permit to be withdrawn. They accuse her of spreading Russian propaganda.
The charge retained against the two parliamentarians concerns precisely this call for expulsion, and not another ground made public.
The measure thus places the two elected officials at the center of the Fedorova affair, named after the journalist whose departure they requested.
The two lawmakers had called for Xenia Fedorova’s residence permit to be withdrawn. They accuse her of spreading Russian propaganda.
The charge retained against the two parliamentarians concerns precisely this call for expulsion, and not another ground made public.
In this statement, he presents the proceedings not as a means of silencing, but as a signal addressed to authoritarian regimes that he says threaten democracy.
Dig deeper
Who is Xenia Fedorova?
A Russian journalist based in France, she has become a symbol of the debates over Moscow’s influence in the French media landscape.
What is a residence permit?
It is the authorization that allows a foreign national to reside legally in France; its withdrawal can lead to an obligation to leave the territory.
Why does this case matter?
It sets elected officials’ freedom of expression and a journalist’s right of residence against accusations of serving as a relay for an authoritarian regime.
What is at stake in the proceedings targeting the two elected officials?
They concern their public call for expulsion, presented by one of them as a signal in the face of regimes that would threaten democracy, and not as an attempt to silence.