Jailed Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich has been charged with espionage in Russia and has entered a formal denial, two Russian news agencies reported Friday.
The state news agency Tass and the Interfax news agency said a law enforcement source informed them that Russia’s Federal Security Service, known as the FSB, had officially charged the American journalist.
The news outlets didn’t say in what form Gershkovich was formally charged or when it happened, but generally suspects are presented a paper outlining the accusations.
In the Russian legal system, the filing of charges and a response from the accused represent the formal start of a criminal probe, initiating what could be a long and secretive Russian judicial process.
American journalist Evan Gershkovich, a correspondent for The Wall Street Journal, has been detained in Russia on charges of spying for the U.S. government. His employer and fellow journalists are appalled by the charges, and U.S. officials say they are deeply concerned.
Tass quoted its source as saying: “The FSB investigation charged Gershkovich with espionage in the interests of his country. He categorically denied all accusations and stated that he was engaged in journalistic activities in Russia.”
The source declined further comment because the case was considered secret.
Russian authorities arrested Gershkovich, 31, in Yekaterinburg, Russia’s fourth-largest city, on March 29. He is the first U.S. correspondent since the Cold War to be detained for alleged spying.
The FSB specifically accused Gershkovich of trying to obtain classified information about a Russian arms factory. The Wall Street Journal has denied the accusations.
Case causing international uproar
The case has caused an international uproar.
In a rare U.S. bipartisan statement, the Senate’s top two leaders demanded Friday that Russia immediately release Gershkovich. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, a Democrat from New York, and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, a Republican from Kentucky, declared that “journalism is not a crime.”
They praised Gershkovich as an “internationally known and respected independent journalist.”
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and U.S. President Joe Biden also spoke by phone on Wednesday and called for the reporter’s immediate release.
On the phone today, <a href=”https://twitter.com/POTUS?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>@POTUS</a> Biden and I spoke about his trip here last month and the work we’ll continue to do together, from securing our borders to building clean economies. We also spoke about Ukraine, and we call on Russia to release <a href=”https://twitter.com/evangershkovich?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>@EvanGershkovich</a> immediately.
—@JustinTrudeau
On Thursday, the U.S ambassador to Russia and a top Russian official met to discuss the case.
In the meeting with U.S. Ambassador Lynne T. Tracy, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov stressed “the serious nature of the charges” against Gershkovich, according to a Russian Foreign Ministry statement.
Russia claims reporter ‘caught red-handed’
The statement repeated earlier Russian claims that the reporter “was caught red-handed while trying to obtain secret information, using his journalistic status as a cover for illegal actions.”
Lawyers representing Gershkovich met with him Tuesday for the first time since his detention, according to Wall Street Journal editor-in-chief Emma Tucker.
Tucker said the reporter is in good health and “is grateful for the outpouring of support from around the world. We continue to call for his immediate release.”
Gershkovich was ordered held behind bars for two months in Russia pending an investigation. A Moscow court said Monday that it had received a defence appeal of his arrest; the appeal is scheduled to be heard on April 18, Russian news agencies reported.
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