Washington, Apr 2 (EFE).- The US Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, demanded this Sunday by telephone to his Russian counterpart, Sergei Lavrov, the “immediate release” of the American journalist from The Wall Street Journal (WSJ ) Evan Gershkovich, arrested in Russia for alleged espionage.
The State Department reported the call between the two foreign ministers in a statement and did not refer to Gershkovich by name, but rather described him as a “citizen journalist.”
“Secretary Blinken conveyed the grave US concern over the unacceptable detention of a citizen journalist. The secretary called for his immediate release, ”the State Department detailed in a statement.
A court in Moscow issued this Thursday two months of preventive detention for Gershkovich, who, according to a source from the security services cited by the TASS agency, pleaded guilty to the alleged crimes, for which he could be sentenced to 20 years in prison.
The Wall Street Journal has denied the allegations and demanded the immediate release of its journalist, who worked in the newspaper’s Moscow office, while the White House has condemned his detention and accused Russia of targeting US citizens.
According to the State Department, Blinken took advantage of the phone call with Lavrov to also call for the “immediate release” of Paul Whelan, imprisoned in Russia since 2018.
Whelan, 53, was arrested on December 28, 2018 by agents of the Federal Security Service (FSB, former KGB) in a Moscow hotel for alleged “espionage activities” in favor of the United States.
The convicted man has denied all the accusations and has described the case as a “political kidnapping”, while his family has assured that he only traveled to Moscow to attend a wedding.
Moscow and Washington carried out in December 2022 one of the most notorious prisoner swaps in recent years by exchanging basketball player Brittney Griner, convicted of cannabis possession, for the arms dealer known as the “merchant of death”. , Víktor But, who was serving 25 years in prison in the United States.
The United States unsuccessfully tried to include Whelan in that prisoner exchange, but it was not possible.
Griner and his wife Cherelle expressed solidarity with Gershkovich’s family on Instagram last night, saying their hearts are “full of concern” for him.
In addition, they urged US President Joe Biden to use “all the tools” at his disposal to secure his release. EFE
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