Chay Bowes, an Irishman working for Russian state media, ‘deported' from Romania
Chay Bowes, an Irishman working for
Russian
state media, says he has been detained and deported from
Romania
having been labelled a 'threat to the security of the state'.
Mr Bowes, who was one of the founders of The Ditch news website before parting ways with the publication, is a correspondent for RT, a Kremlin-backed television news channel, previously known as Russia Today.
In a video posted online on Thursday night, Mr Bowes said he had travelled to Romania to cover the country's
presidential election
.
The election, which is scheduled to be held on May 4th and 18th, is a repeat of the 2024 ballot after Romania's constitutional court voided the initial results following accusations of Russian meddling, which Moscow denied.
READ MORE
On landing at Bucharest on a flight from
Dublin
, Mr Bowes said several police officers boarded the plane seeking him out before he was subsequently detained and questioned.
Mr Bowes claimed he was presented with a document by Romanian authorities which said he was 'a threat to the security of the state'.
'And on that basis, they were deporting me from Romania,' he said.
'I entered the country completely legally to do my job and this is really quite shocking.'
The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade is aware of reports of the case.
Last year
French officials warned
the
Department of Foreign Affairs
about efforts by
Russia
to extend its disinformation activities into Ireland in the run-up to the 2024
European elections
.
A network of Russian websites and social media accounts was uncovered by French security officials who alleged Moscow was using it to sow discord in EU countries by exploiting grievances around divisive issues such as
immigration
.
The Irish website featured stories about Mr Bowes and his praise for Russia, along with other material on
Ukraine
and immigration.
Romanians are due to vote in a presidential election re-run that could propel to power ultranationalist George Simion (38), an outcome likely to cause unease in the European Union and Nato. The hard-right Eurosceptic leads opinion polls before the first round of voting on Sunday, five months after the original vote was cancelled because of alleged Russian interference. Moscow has denied the allegations. – additional reporting Reuters
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