<
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/mar/30/us-condemns-arrest-of-wsj-journalist-as-russia-accused-of-hostage-taking>
"Antony Blinken, the US secretary of state, has condemned Russia’s arrest of
the
Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, as Moscow was accused of
engaging in “hostage taking” by arresting a high-profile journalist who could
be used as leverage in a potential prisoner swap.
“In the strongest possible terms, we condemn the Kremlin’s continued attempts
to intimidate, repress and punish journalists and civil society voices,”
Blinken said in a statement.
The White House press secretary, Karine Jean-Pierre, also condemned the arrest
and said “These espionage charges are ridiculous. The targeting of American
citizens by the Russian government is unacceptable”.
Both Blinken and Jean-Pierre advised any US citizens still in Russia to leave
immediately.
Gershkovich was detained on Wednesday during a reporting trip to the Urals city
of Ekaterinburg. On Thursday, he appeared at the Lefortovo courthouse in Moscow
for a brief hearing at which the charges were officially presented. The court
ordered him to be held in pre-trial detention until at least 29 May, local
media reported.
Russia’s FSB security service claimed Gershkovich “was collecting classified
information about the activities of one of the enterprises of the Russian
military industrial complex”. The charges carry a maximum prison sentence of 20
years.
“The
Wall Street Journal vehemently denies the allegations from the FSB and
seeks the immediate release of our trusted and dedicated reporter, Evan
Gershkovich. We stand in solidarity with Evan and his family,” the newspaper
said in a statement.
Friends and colleagues of Gershkovich called the allegations absurd, describing
Gershkovich as a professional and the allegations against him as “ridiculous”.
The arrest amounted to “hostage-taking as a tool of statecraft”, Russia analyst
Mark Galeotti wrote on Twitter."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
