Russia: Wall Street Journal journalist arrested for "espionage" kept in detention

A Russian court on Tuesday (April 18th) rejected the request for the release of American journalist Evan Gershkovich, who remains "combative" despite his continued detention, according to his lawyer. The 31-year-old reporter was arrested at the end of March on charges of "espionage". © EVGENIA NOVOZHENINA - Reuters

Text by: RFI Follow

3 min

Evan Gershkovich appeared on Tuesday, April 18 before a Moscow court. The judge ordered his continued detention until trial. It was the first public appearance of the American journalist in this case very followed in the United States.

Advertising

Read more

«

Be strong Evan," a colleague told him in Russian. Standing in his glass cage, dressed in a blue plaid shirt, Evan Gershkovich nods. These first images seem to confirm that he is in good health despite being incarcerated in a prison known for its harsh conditions of detention. He seems as combative as his supporters.

In recent days, the journalist has benefited from the status "wrongly detained" attributed by the Biden administration. This means that his case benefits from specific follow-up, translates our correspondent in Washington, Guillaume Naudin. Everything usually happens in a certain discretion which this time is not appropriate. The White House and State Department denounced his arrest as an attempt to intimidate the press in Russia.

Support badge

Above all, Evan Gershkovich's supporters have no intention of remaining silent. Many of them express themselves on social networks. The Wall Street Journal offers daily monitoring of the case and published the testimony of his parents and the two-page letter that the journalist was able to pass through his lawyers. Finally, all attendees of the upcoming White House Correspondents' Dinner at the end of April are invited to wear a support badge. Among the guests, a certain Joe Biden.

We're offering resources for people who want to show their support across social media for Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, who was detained in Russia on March 29 during a reporting trip and remains in prison #IStandWithEvan https://t.co/aEpxgn5Vw4

— The Wall Street Journal (@WSJ) April 12, 2023

The US ambassador to Moscow Lynne Tracy, present in court on Tuesday, had been able to visit him the day before for the first time since the beginning of his imprisonment. "He is healthy and in good spirits despite the circumstances," Tracy said on Twitter after the meeting.

Currency of exchange

The head of US diplomacy, Antony Blinken, on Monday again demanded the "immediate release" of the reporter, known for his rigor and love of Russia. "I am not losing hope," Gershkovich wrote in a letter to his parents in prison published last week by his employer.

Since the launch of the Russian offensive against Ukraine last year, the Russian authorities have intensified the repression in Russia against opponents, but also the media. While political opponents have been targeted for several years, the arrest of the American journalist has sent shock waves, as no Western journalist has been arrested and charged with spying in Russia for decades.

Many observers believe that it could be used in Moscow as part of a possible future prisoner exchange with Washington. In December 2022, American basketball star Brittney Griner, who was in custody in Russia, was exchanged for Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout, who was detained in the United States. The start date of Gershkovich's trial has not yet been announced.

► Read also: Russia releases American basketball player Brittney Griner in prisoner exchange

(

And with AFP)

Newsletter Receive all the international news directly in your mailbox

I subscribe

Follow all the international news by downloading the RFI application

Read on on the same topics:

  • Russia
  • United States
  • Journalism
  • Human rights
  • Media
  • Freedom of the press