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Jailed Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich has been charged with espionage in Russia and has entered an official denial, Russian state news agency Tass reported on Friday.
Tass said law enforcement sources told the news agency that Russia’s Federal Security Service had formally charged an American journalist with espionage. Tass did not specify whether the action was taken during the court hearing.
In the Russian legal system, the filing of charges means the official start of a criminal investigation.
American journalist Evan Gershkovich, a reporter for The Wall Street Journal, has been detained in Russia on charges of spying for the US government. The journalist’s employer and colleagues were shocked by the allegations, and US officials said they were deeply concerned.
Tass quoted the source as saying: “The FSB investigation accused Gershkovich of espionage in the interests of his country. He categorically denied all charges and stated that he was engaged in journalistic activities in Russia.”
The source declined further comment because the case is considered confidential.
Russian authorities arrested Gershkovich, 31, in Yekaterinburg, Russia’s fourth-largest city, on March 29. He became the first US correspondent since the Cold War to be detained on suspicion of spying.
The FSB specifically accused Gershkovich of trying to obtain classified information about Russian arms factories. The Wall Street Journal has denied the allegations.
The case caused an international uproar.
In a rare US bipartisan statement, the two top Senate leaders demanded on Friday that Russia immediately release Gershkovich. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, Democrat of New York, and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, Republican of Kentucky, said that “journalism is not a crime.” He praised Gershkovich as an “internationally known and respected independent journalist.”
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and US President Joe Biden also spoke by phone on Wednesday and called for the journalist’s immediate release.
On the phone today, @POTUS Biden and I talked about our trip here last month and the work we’re going to do. to do it together, from securing our borders to building a clean economy. We also talked about Ukraine, and we asked Russia to release it immediately @EvanGershkovich.
On Thursday, the US ambassador to Russia and top Russian officials met to discuss the case.
In a meeting with US Ambassador Lynne T. Tracy, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov emphasized the “serious nature of the allegations” against Gershkovich, according to a Russian Foreign Ministry statement.
The statement repeated Russia’s earlier claim that the journalist was “handcuffed while trying to obtain classified information, using his journalistic status as a cover for illegal actions.”
Attorneys representing Gershkovich met with him Tuesday for the first time since his arrest, according to Wall Street Journal editor-in-chief Emma Tucker.
Tucker said the journalist is in good health and “thanks for the support from around the world. We continue to call for his immediate release.”
Gershkovich was ordered to be held behind bars for two months in Russia pending an investigation. A Moscow court said there had been a defense appeal against arrest; The appeal is scheduled to be heard on April 18, Russian news agency reported.
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