Russia grants visa to German journalist Seppelt for the 2018 FIFA World Cup and wants to question him
German Minister of Foreign Affairs Heiko Maas announced that Moscow has made concessions. The journalist for ARD, Hajo Seppelt, who is known for his revealing movies about doping in Russian sports, will be allowed to enter the Russian Federation. The Russian Investigative Committee stated that they want to question him about the case of doping, Deutsche Welle reports.
"Russia has just informed us that Hajo Seppelt can enter the country and stay at least during the Championship. We continue fighting for the freedom of the press,” Maas wrote on Twitter.
The official representative of the Investigative Committee, Svetlana Petrenko told Interfax, "In the event that Hajo Seppelt enters the territory of the Russian federation, the Investigative Committee will question him regarding the circumstances that became known to him in the preparation of the documentary about alleged misuses of Russian athletes.”
Seppelt has been investigating the problem of doping in world sports for many years. Among other things, the journalist also talked about the allegedly state-supported doping system in Russia. Seppent’s revelations resulted in the ban of Russian athletes from participating in international competitions.