HomeNewsEspionage accusation in Russia: U.S. journalist Evan Gershkovich in custody ordered
According to state media, the Russian secret service FSB has arrested a US journalist from the Wall Street Journal for alleged espionage. Now he is in prison.
03/30/2023 | updated on 03/30/2023 – 8:49 p.m
It has already been ordered in custody until May 29 for journalist Evan Gershkovich.AFP
A court in Moscow has ordered US reporter Evan Gershkovich arrested on espionage charges to be held in custody for two months. Gershkovich will initially remain in custody until May 29, which can then be extended, the Lefortowski court said on Thursday. As the Russian state news agency Tass reported, citing police circles, the case was classified as „top secret“. The journalist therefore rejected the allegations made against him.
The Russian secret service FSB had previously stated that the correspondent of the Wall Street Journal was suspected of „espionage in the interests of the American government“. The 31-year-old is also suspected of having collected information “about a company belonging to the military-industrial complex” in Russia. According to Article 276 of the Russian Criminal Code, charges like these carry ten to 20 years in prison.
US government is in direct contact with Russia
The US government has „strongly“ condemned the detention of a US journalist in Russia. „The Russian government’s persecution of American citizens is unacceptable,“ the White House said on Thursday. „We are deeply concerned by the disturbing reports that Evan Gershkovich, a US citizen, has been arrested in Russia.“ The US State Department is in direct contact with the Russian government and is actively seeking to provide Gershkovich with consular access.
On Wednesday evening (local time), representatives of the US government spoke to Gershkovich’s employer, the Wall Street Journal. They are also in contact with the journalist’s family. „We also condemn the Russian government’s continued persecution and repression of journalists and freedom of the press,“ the White House said in a statement.
Evan Gershkovich is escorted to a bus by officers from Lefortovsky Court. Alexander Zemlianichenko/AP
This suspicion is directed against the 31-year-old
The Russian secret service also declared that it had stopped the „illegal activities of US citizen Evan Gershkovich“, Russian state agencies reported earlier on Thursday, citing security services.
The correspondent of the Wall Street Journal’s Moscow office, who is accredited to the Russian Foreign Ministry, is suspected of „espionage in the interests of the American government“. The 31-year-old is also suspected of having collected information “about a company belonging to the military-industrial complex” in Russia.
Breaking: Russia’s main security agency said it had detained Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, a US citizen, for what it described as espionage https://t.co/5mr3h7uroZ
— The Wall Street Journal (@WSJ) March 30, 2023
Before joining the US newspaper last year, Gershkovich was a correspondent for the AFP news agency in Moscow. He also worked for the Moscow Times, an English-language news portal. Gershkovich is Russian by birth, his parents live in the USA.
White House: US citizens should leave Russia immediately
The government in Washington also renewed its call for US citizens to leave Russia immediately. The presence of Americans in Russia is deeply concerning, National Security Council communications director at the White House John Kirby said on Thursday. One was surprised by the arrest of the US reporter Evan Gershkovich and the allegations against him. Kirby said there had been no advance warning and no indication that Russia was planning any kind of major action against journalists in general. It is still too early to say whether this is the case.
The US State Department is already advising US citizens not to travel to Russia – also because of the risk of unlawful detention. Kirby said it was not new for Russia to detain Americans or act against a free and independent press.
Federal government ‚deeply concerned‘ about arrest
The German government has expressed „deep concern“ about the arrest of US journalist Evan Gershkovich in Russia. „The work of foreign correspondents accredited in Russia must be possible unhindered and without intimidation,“ said a spokesman for the Federal Foreign Office on Thursday evening at the request of the German Press Agency. „Journalism must not be criminalized.“
Since the Ukraine war: Russia has stepped up its pace
Americans are repeatedly suspected of espionage in Russia. This is likely to be the first case of a journalist officially accredited to the Russian Foreign Ministry. In the wake of the Ukraine war, Russia recently tightened its stance against Western journalists. The Russian opposition spoke of a „hostage-taking“.
„Putin is ready to use any method to put pressure on the West,“ said the team of jailed Kremlin opponent Alexei Navalny. In the past, Kremlin chief Vladimir Putin had time and again freed Russian criminals imprisoned in the United States through exchanges with Americans convicted in Moscow.