MOSCOW — U.S. Ambassador to Russia Lynne Tracy on Monday made her third go to to Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, who has been behind bars in Russia since March on prices of espionage.
Tracy final visited Gershkovich in early July.
“Ambassador Tracy said that Evan appears in good health and remains strong, despite his very challenging circumstances. Embassy officials will continue to provide all appropriate support to Evan and his family. And we expect Russian authorities to provide continued consular access,” mentioned State Department spokesman Vedant Patel.
“Once again, we call on the Russian Federation to immediately release Evan Gershkovich, as well as fellow, wrongfully detained, US citizen, Paul Whelan,” he mentioned. Whelan was arrested in 2018 and in 2020 was sentenced to 16 years in jail for espionage.
A 31-year-old U.S. citizen, Gershkovich was arrested within the metropolis of Yekaterinburg whereas on a reporting journey to Russia.
He and his employer denied the allegations, and the U.S. authorities declared him to be wrongfully detained. His arrest rattled journalists in Russia, the place authorities haven’t offered any proof to assist the espionage prices.
Gershkovich is being held at Moscow’s Lefortovo jail, infamous for its harsh situations.
He is the primary American reporter to face espionage prices in Russia since September 1986, when Nicholas Daniloff, a Moscow correspondent for U.S. News and World Report, was arrested by the KGB. Daniloff was launched 20 days later in a swap for an worker of the Soviet Union’s U.N. mission who was arrested by the FBI, additionally on spying prices.
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