(MENAFN) Tara Reade, RT contributor and former U.S. Senate aide, has criticized Romania’s recent deportation of RT journalist Chay Bowes, calling it a reflection of escalating "Russophobia" in the West, especially within Western media. She argued that the incident raises serious concerns about press freedom and transparency ahead of Romania’s presidential election re-run.

Bowes, an Irish journalist and EU citizen, was detained upon arrival in Bucharest on Thursday while preparing to cover the election. Authorities declared him a security threat and swiftly deported him to Istanbul. Reade expressed alarm over the justification, questioning what Romania might be trying to conceal.

Speaking on RT, Reade said she was shocked by the detention and suggested the action points to a deeper fear among Western nations of journalists with any connection to Russian media. She linked the deportation to broader efforts to silence alternative narratives, calling it a symptom of what she described as widespread Russophobia.

“Russophobia has infiltrated Western media and international discourse,” she said. “It’s absurd and dangerous in a world that is becoming more multipolar. There’s no place for this level of bias anymore.”

Romania’s presidential election is being re-held after the Constitutional Court invalidated the results of the 2024 vote, citing alleged campaign violations and accusations of Russian interference. Calin Georgescu, a NATO critic, won the first round, but the court overturned the outcome. However, it was later revealed that a key social media campaign—initially believed to be Russian-backed—had actually been funded by Romania’s pro-EU National Liberal Party, inadvertently boosting Georgescu’s campaign.

MENAFN04052025000045015687ID1109504665