The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) requested this Friday the immediate and unconditional release of Evan Gershkovich, detained this Thursday in Russia. The correspondent for ‘The Wall Street Journal’ was arrested by the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB, former KGB) accused of alleged espionage.
Following these events, CPJ demanded through a statement, signed by the main communication groups around the world -among which is Vocento-, the withdrawal of all charges against him. The New York-based non-profit association, which advocates for press freedom and the rights of journalists worldwide, asks the Russian authorities that journalists can “freely exercise” their profession. In this sense, CPJ denounces that since the beginning of the invasion of Ukraine in Russia, “harsh restrictions have been imposed against the independent press.”
“By arresting American journalist Evan Gershkovich, Russia has crossed the Rubicon and sent a clear message to foreign correspondents that they will not be spared from the purge of independent media in the country,” CPJ coordinator Gulnoza Said said in the note. for Europe and Central Asia.
Related News
“The FSB thwarted the illegal activities of the correspondent of the Moscow branch of the American newspaper ‘The Wall Street Journal’ and American citizen, Evan Gershkovich, suspected of espionage in the interest of the United States Government,” read the note released this Thursday by the FSB and reproduced by Russian agencies.
‘The Wall Street Journal’ has at all times denied the accusations and has demanded the immediate release of its journalist, who worked in the newspaper’s office in Moscow, while the White House condemned his arrest and accused Russia of targeting American citizens.
For now, Gershkovich has been immediately transferred to Moscow. This Thursday, the Lefórtovo District Court of the Russian capital, despite the fact that he has pleaded not guilty to the accusations, has decided to keep him in pretrial detention pending trial until May 29. If the hearing has not yet been held by that date, the usual practice is to prolong preventive detention as many times as necessary. In many cases, those suspected of crimes in Russia can remain confined for even years without trial. Asked about the possibility that he could be exchanged for a Russian prisoner serving a sentence in the US, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Riabkov said Thursday that “it is premature now to talk about this.”