Russian-Israeli journalist banned from entering Serbia as ‘foreign agent’
Voice of America’s Roman Perl was blacklisted by Moscow in 2021 under controversial law; says Belgrade ban resulted from incident as he reported on Russian invasion of Ukraine
BELGRADE, Serbia — A Russian-Israeli journalist labeled a “foreign agent” by Moscow was banned from entering Serbia over alleged security risks, he said in a video late Wednesday.
Roman Perl said he was on a private visit when he landed at Belgrade airport on Saturday.
He was kept waiting for hours before finally being handed an order banning him from entering the country, he said in the video posted by the Voice of America broadcaster.
“They gave me a paper stating that there are security risks if I were to be on Serbian territory,” Perl said, speaking in English but with his remarks voiced over in Serbian.
The journalist said he had only come to visit a friend.
Moscow labeled Perl a “foreign agent” in October 2021, based on a law condemned by the international community.
The controversial law allows the authorities to crack down on organizations, media outlets, and others deemed “foreign agents.” Adopted in 2012, it has since been hardened several times.
It was this legislation that prompted Perl to move to Israel.
Commenting on the ban, he said it was “possible that the Russian authorities can, in certain cases, persuade the Serbs to do something the Russian side deems necessary.”
But, he added, the main reason for the ban was his detention in Belgrade last year while working on a documentary about Serbia, and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
“One of the interviewees unfurled a Ukrainian flag near the Russian embassy,” he said. “Then the members of the gendarmerie approached us and told us that the embassy had called them to remove us from the area.”
Following that incident, Perl was detained for several hours at a police station before being released without charge.
He is currently involved in a project with Voice of America and Radio Free Europe, called Current Time.
Contacted by AFP, Serbia’s interior ministry did not provide details about the reasons for the ban.
Serbia, which aspires to join the European Union, has condemned the Russian invasion of Ukraine at the United Nations.
But the Balkan nation, which is almost entirely dependent on Russian gas, has refused to impose sanctions on Moscow.
