MOSCOW: US ambassador Lynne Tracy visited Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich in a Moscow prison on Friday, the embassy said, as he prepares...
US journalist Evan Gershkovich, arrested on espionage charges, stands inside a defendants’ cage before a hearing to consider an appeal on his extended detention at The Moscow City Court in Moscow on June 22, 2023. AFPPIX: US ambassador Lynne Tracy visited Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich in a Moscow prison on Friday, the embassy said, as he prepares for a new appeal next week against his pre-trial detention on spying charges that he denies.
Gershkovich was arrested on March 29 in the Urals city of Yekaterinburg on charges of espionage that carry up 20 years in prison. He, his newspaper and the US government all strongly deny the accusation. Gershkovich is the first US reporter to be accused of spying in Russia since the Cold War. Washington has accused Moscow of using him for “hostage diplomacy”, at a time when relations between the two countries are at their worst point for more than 60 years because of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.