American journalists detained in St. Petersburg, released with a warning
This bit of news is just plain odd.
Fontanka, a St. Petersburg, Russia online newspaper, reported that on Thursday, at 1:00 PM St Petersburg time, Federal Immigration Service detained two American media professionals - Randy Covington and Joe Bergantino.
Covington is the director of Newsplex, a University of South Carolina training facility designed to help media organizations adapt to the changing realities of the media landscape. Bergatino is a senior investigative reporter at the New England Center for Investigative Reporting. They were attending a seminar on investigative journalism, which took place in the Sokos hotel in Vasilyeostrovsky district. The seminar involved Russian and Western journalists alike. According to Fontanka, FIS agents barged in on the seminar, asked all the foreigners to present their documents and detained Covington and Bergatino.
According to the follow-up report by Fontanka, the two were detained under Article 18.8 of the Russian federal law. The article covers a fairly broad range of immigration law violations, including violating laws regarding registration, movement throughout the country, living in Russia illegally, failure to report a stolen passport, etc. Under the Article 18.8, Section 3, violations are punished with a fine of 5,000 -7,000 rubles ($122-$171) and immediate deportation.
But according to Fontanka, district judge Elena Lykova let the men off with a warning. They would be allowed to leave on Saturday, as they originally planned.
What part of Article 18.8 did Covignon and Bergatino supposedly violate? According to Bumaga online newspaper, the officials won't say. But I have a hunch that it was one of the things listed under Section 2 - "the discrepancy between the stated reason for traveling to the Russian Federation and the actual conduct (or the nature of activities) during the period of presence (or residence) in the Russian Federation."
It's nighttime in St Petersburg at the moment, so we probably won't know anything more, but hopefully, Covington and Bergatino would be able to shed some light on the matter in the morning (that would be late Thursday evening US Central time).
Though, knowing how Russian law enforcement works, I wouldn't be surprised if they weren't told, either.
Edited to Add (20:04 CST, 16.10.204): Boston-area ABC affiliate WCVC 5 has a few more details. First, their account of the incident differs a bit from Fontanka's. It said that Covington and Bergatino were arrested because they refused to sign a paper saying that they were in the country illegally. And it actually gives a reason why they were arrested.
Bergatino was released Thursday with a warning from a judge and told not to continue the workshop.
The judge told Bergantino that if he wants to do any educational workshops in the future, he will need a special invitation and visa.
So my hunch was right.
Fontanka, a St. Petersburg, Russia online newspaper, reported that on Thursday, at 1:00 PM St Petersburg time, Federal Immigration Service detained two American media professionals - Randy Covington and Joe Bergantino.
Covington is the director of Newsplex, a University of South Carolina training facility designed to help media organizations adapt to the changing realities of the media landscape. Bergatino is a senior investigative reporter at the New England Center for Investigative Reporting. They were attending a seminar on investigative journalism, which took place in the Sokos hotel in Vasilyeostrovsky district. The seminar involved Russian and Western journalists alike. According to Fontanka, FIS agents barged in on the seminar, asked all the foreigners to present their documents and detained Covington and Bergatino.
According to the follow-up report by Fontanka, the two were detained under Article 18.8 of the Russian federal law. The article covers a fairly broad range of immigration law violations, including violating laws regarding registration, movement throughout the country, living in Russia illegally, failure to report a stolen passport, etc. Under the Article 18.8, Section 3, violations are punished with a fine of 5,000 -7,000 rubles ($122-$171) and immediate deportation.
But according to Fontanka, district judge Elena Lykova let the men off with a warning. They would be allowed to leave on Saturday, as they originally planned.
What part of Article 18.8 did Covignon and Bergatino supposedly violate? According to Bumaga online newspaper, the officials won't say. But I have a hunch that it was one of the things listed under Section 2 - "the discrepancy between the stated reason for traveling to the Russian Federation and the actual conduct (or the nature of activities) during the period of presence (or residence) in the Russian Federation."
It's nighttime in St Petersburg at the moment, so we probably won't know anything more, but hopefully, Covington and Bergatino would be able to shed some light on the matter in the morning (that would be late Thursday evening US Central time).
Though, knowing how Russian law enforcement works, I wouldn't be surprised if they weren't told, either.
Edited to Add (20:04 CST, 16.10.204): Boston-area ABC affiliate WCVC 5 has a few more details. First, their account of the incident differs a bit from Fontanka's. It said that Covington and Bergatino were arrested because they refused to sign a paper saying that they were in the country illegally. And it actually gives a reason why they were arrested.
Bergatino was released Thursday with a warning from a judge and told not to continue the workshop.
The judge told Bergantino that if he wants to do any educational workshops in the future, he will need a special invitation and visa.
So my hunch was right.