French journalist banned from leaving Soviet Union

A Moscow-based French journalist was barred from leaving the Soviet Union and questioned by KGB security police over his links to an arrested Soviet citizen of the Russian Orthodox faith, his office said. Vladimir Gedilaghine, a correspondent with the French news agency Agence France-Presse, was told he could face a charge of anti-Soviet activity and propaganda for giving Viktor Burdyuk anti-Soviet material.

Mr. Gedilaghine said the charge is groundless, since he only gave Mr. Burdyuk a Western-published book, ''The History of Russian Religious Thought.'' The French embassy in Moscow said it requested the ban on Mr. Gedilaghine be lifted, but it had not received a reply from the Soviet Foreign Ministry.