WSJ rejects espionage accusations over arrested reporter in Russia
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Earlier today, the Lefortovo District Court of Moscow told Sputnik it had ruled that Gershkovich be put in pre-trial detention for two months.
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Evan Gershkovich is escorted by officers from the Moscow court to an awaiting vehicle (AP)
The Wall Street Journal on Wednesday rebuked accusations from Moscow that alleged Moscow bureau correspondent, Evan Gershkovich, of carrying out espionage activities.
It further noted that it would seek Gershkovich's immediate release.
Earlier in the day, the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) said that Gershkovich was detained in the Russian city of Yekaterinburg on a suspicion of espionage for the United States. According to FSB, Gershkovich collected classified information about the activities of one of the Russian military-industrial complex firms.
"The Wall Street Journal vehemently denies the allegations from the FSB and seeks the immediate release of our trusted and dedicated reporter, Evan Gershkovic. We stand in solidarity with Evan and his family," the newspaper said in a statement.
Earlier today, the Lefortovo District Court of Moscow told Sputnik it had ruled that Gershkovich be put in pre-trial detention for two months.
The reporter's lawyer, Daniil Berman, told sources that he was not permitted to enter the courtroom, noting that other lawyers may have been assigned to defend Evan Gershkovich in his stead.
"They are saying that there is already some lawyer [defending Gershkovich] who is likely to have been assigned. An assistant [of the judge] said that they were not going to help me," Berman stated, noting that Gershkovich would likely be tried for espionage.
The Russian Criminal Code stipulates that the sentence for espionage may amount to up to 20 years of jail time.
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Before joining The Wall Street Journal Gershkovich worked for AFP in Moscow.
On her part, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Maria Zakharova wrote on her Telegram channel that Gershkovich was not engaged in any journalistic work.
"What an employee of the US paper The Wall Street Journal was doing in Yekaterinburg has nothing to do with journalism," Zakharova said.
"Unfortunately, this is not the first time that the status of a 'foreign correspondent', a journalistic visa, and accreditation are used by foreigners in our country to cover up activities that are not related to journalism," she noted.
According to the Russian spokesperson, Gershkovich "is not the first well-known Westerner who got caught in action."
Kremlin Spokesperson Dmitry Peskov later said Gershkovich was caught red-handed.
"The only thing I can say is that, as far as we know, he was caught red-handed," Peskov told reporters when asked if Moscow will cooperate with the US intelligence services on the matter.
Commenting on a possible response measure by the US, the official expressed the hope that there will be no reaction.
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