A Boston University journalism professor currently in Russia to teach was detained and released by Russian authorities Thursday after allegedly lacking appropriate visa credentials to teach while in the country.
Joe Bergantino, executive director of the New England Center for Investigative Reporting housed at BU, was preparing to leave an investigative reporting workshop in St. Petersburg when he was detained, said William McKeen, chair of the journalism department.
In an email statement shared with journalism department faculty, Bergantino said he was under the impression that he had the right kind of visa prior to his detainment.
“[I was] escorted to a Russian courthouse where a judge reprimanded us for—in her opinion—not having the visa necessary to conduct a workshop in this country,” he said. “The [U.S.] State Department had advised us that the visa we obtained would be fine for the work we were planning to do.”
Bergantino and his fellow professor Randy Covington of University of South Carolina were brought before a judge to answer questions about potential visa violations and were released with warnings, said Jen Psaki, a U.S. State Department spokeswoman in a Thursday press briefing.
“Our preference would have been for them not to be detained,” she said. “We’re ready to move forward.”
McKeen said despite initial impressions, Bergantino was not arrested.
“This morning, I had gotten a note from the dean’s office, and I asked if I could share it with the faculty,” he said. “So I did, and according to what the dean’s office had heard, originally they thought that Joe had been arrested, and so I sent that to all the faculty, and of course Joe got it.”
Bergantino corresponded with McKeen through email and said he will return to the United States Saturday.
“We are now free to leave whenever we choose,” Bergantino said in the email. “We’re choosing to leave sooner than later.”
McKeen said the journalism department awaits Bergantino’s return.
“The workshop is canceled, and he’s coming back,” he said. “Naturally we’re concerned, hoping that everything was alright.”
Mina Corpuz contributed to the reporting of this article.
