Russia denies European lawmaker entry to witness espionage trial of Ukrainian pilot

BRUSSELS, Sept. 26 (UPI) -- European lawmaker Rebecca Harms was barred from entering Russia on Thursday.

Harms was attempting to travel to Moscow to observe the trial of Nadia Savchenko, a female Ukrainian pilot who has been accused of espionage by Russia.

On her Facebook page, the President of the Greens party in the European Parliament wrote "despite my diplomatic passport, I was denied entry into Russia. I was told to take the next airplane back and any entry into Russia would be considered a criminal act."

The lawmaker returned to Brussels.

"We condemn the refusal, at a Moscow airport, to allow MEP Rebecca Harms to enter the territory of the Russian Federation, despite her having checked with the Russian authorities before traveling," a European Union spokesperson said Friday.