The Guardian newspaper says it is seeking urgent clarification on whether its Moscow correspondent, Luke Harding, will be allowed to remain in the country after his press card expires in May.
Harding, 42, was refused reentry to Russia on February 5 after being absent from the country for two months. The Russian authorities reversed their decision following criticism in the global media. Harding returned to Moscow on Saturday.
"It is still not clear whether Luke is being allowed in indefinitely or is still being expelled in 15 weeks' time," The Guardian said in a statement. "The Guardian is seeking urgent clarification on this."
Harding was first informed that his accreditation would be withdrawn in November last year, but was allowed to stay in Russia until May 2011 after protests from the British government, the statement said.
The journalist was issued an extended certificate for foreign correspondents but he did not collect it before he went to London.
A source in a Russian law enforcement agency said earlier that Harding was blacklisted as a person whose presence in the country was "undesirable."
Harding was responsible for reporting on U.S. diplomatic cables leaked to The Guardian by WikiLeaks, including allegations that Russia under the rule of Prime Minister Vladimir Putin has become a "virtual mafia state".
The journalist wrote on his Twitter blog on February 7: "The Russians have been unhappy with my reporting for a while. But it seems WikiLeaks may have been the final straw."
LONDON, February 14 (RIA Novosti)
