Journalist Denied French Residency, Ordered to Leave
French authorities denied journalist Irina Ananina a residence permit and ordered her to leave the country, despite her marriage to a French citizen and long-term residency. She claims the refusal was based on false allegations of a prior deportation order she never received.
Consensus
- Irina Ananina, a Russian journalist, was denied a residence permit in France.
- Ananina is married to a French citizen and has lived in France since 2021.
- The French authorities did not provide specific reasons for the refusal.
- Ananina was ordered to leave France.
- Ananina submitted her application for residency as a family member of a French citizen after her marriage in July 2022.
- The application process took over two years, with the case re-registered in January 2024 due to a shift to electronic documentation.
- Ananina claims she never received a prior refusal or deportation order.
- The mayor of the city where she married sent a letter to the prefecture confirming her marriage and cohabitation, but it did not change the outcome.
- Ananina's lawyer, Dmitry Zakhvatov, stated the decision is unlawful and plans to appeal in court.
- Ananina works for 'Vot Tak,' a Russian-language outlet linked to Poland's TVP and the banned 'Belsat' project in Russia.
- Ananina fears criminal prosecution in Russia if deported due to her work with 'Vot Tak'.
- Ananina does not wish to seek political asylum and wants to challenge the decision legally.
Points of divergence
- Ananina claims she was told by prefecture staff in private conversations that her Russian citizenship caused potential issues with the residency application. — tg_astrapress
- Ananina states that the prefecture registered a car in her name on the anniversary of her wedding, which she sees as a contradiction to the denial of residency. — tg_echoonline_news
- Ananina says the prefecture remained silent for a long time before issuing the refusal. — novaya_eu
- The Ministry of the Interior of France issued the refusal, not the prefecture. — tg_radiosvoboda
Coverage (4 sources)
- Journalist of "Vot Tak" Denied Residence Permit in France and Ordered to Leave the Country — ASTRA
- French Ministry of Interior refused residence permit to journalist of publication "Vot tak" and demanded she leave... — Радио Свобода
- A Russian journalist living in Europe was denied a residence permit in France. Authorities claim that... — ЭХО / Новости
- Journalist Irina Ananina of «Vot Tak» Denied Residence Permit in France. She Faces Deportation to Russia — Новая газета Европа