US Secretary of State Antony Blinken condemns Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich
's arrest in Russia
.
"We condemn in the harshest terms the Kremlin's continued attempts to intimidate, repress and punish journalists and the voices of civil society", said Blinken, underlining that the State Department is in contact with the US newspaper.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken condemns the arrest of the Wall Street Journal reporter in Russia.
"We condemn in the harshest terms the Kremlin's continued attempts to intimidate, repress and punish journalists and the voices of civil society", said Blinken, underlining that the State Department is in contact with the US newspaper.
All American citizens who are in Russia must leave the country immediately.
The White House asked for it in a note on the arrest of the Wall Street Journal reporter.
The indictment
The American journalist is accused of espionage on the basis of article 276 of the Penal Code, which provides for sentences of
up to 20 years in prison
.
This was specified by the Russian internal intelligence services (FSB).
Gershkovich, whose parents live in the United States but are originally from the former Soviet Union, is 32 and speaks Russian.
Before being hired by the Wall Street Journal, he had worked for the AFP agency and for the English-language Russian newspaper in Moscow.
In a statement, the FSB states that the journalist, "acting on instructions from the American side, was collecting information covered by state secrecy on the activity of one of the enterprises of the Russian military industrial complex".
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The arrest
Evan Gershkovich was taken by plainclothes security officers from a restaurant in Yekaterinburg and loaded onto a minivan.
Gershkovich's face was covered with a sweater as he was being carried to the car.
The Washington Post reports it, reconstructing the methods of detention on the basis of information gathered by the local media.
Gershkovich would later be flown to Moscow.
The Lefortovo Court in Moscow has turned the detention of the American journalist into arrest, which will last at least two months, until 29 May.
Wall Street Journal wrath
The Wall Street Journal says it is "deeply concerned" about the detention of its reporter in Russia, Evan Gershkovich.
This was stated by the American newspaper in a statement published by the Russian agency Tass.
The Wall Street Journal calls for his
immediate release
by Evan Gershkovich, his reporter arrested in Yekaterinburg on espionage charges.
The same US newspaper writes it.
The newspaper has "vehemently denied" the espionage allegations made by Moscow against Evan Gershkovich.
"The Wall Street Journal vehemently rejects the allegations of the Russian security services and calls for the immediate release of Evan Gershkovich, a reliable and conscientious journalist," the paper said in a statement.
"We stand in solidarity with Evan and his family."
The Moscow version
What the American journalist of the Wall Street Journal covered in Yekaterinburg has "nothing to do with journalism".
This was stated on her Telegram channel by Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman
Maria Zakharova
.
"Unfortunately - adds the spokeswoman - it is not the first time that the status of 'foreign correspondent', journalistic visa and accreditation are used by foreigners in our country to cover activities that are not journalism. This is not the first known Western to be 'pinched'".
"There is no mention of suspects, he was caught red-handed": thus Kremlin spokesman
Dmitry Peskov
commented the detention of the American Wall Street Journal journalist in Ekaterinburg.
This is reported by Ria Novosti.
Peskov, expressed his hope that the US will not retaliate for the arrest of the journalist.
"Let's hope that doesn't happen, and it doesn't have to happen," he said.
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