Wall Street Journal Reporter Formally Charged With Espionage In Russia; Senate Leaders Latest To Condemn Wrongful Detention Update

UPDATED: Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich was formally charged with espionage Friday after the Moscow-based journalist was detained last week.

The Russian news agency TASS said Gershkovich “denied his guilt” in court today. The Journal wrote that it vehemently denies the charges against him.

Gershkovich was detained March 29 during a reporting trip to the city of Yekaterinburg. He was arrested the next day after appearing in court. Gershkovich was accredited by the Russian Foreign Ministry to work as a journalist in the country, the WSJ said.

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U.S. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and Republican Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) today joined the White House and the U.S. State Department in condemning the Russian action and to “demand the immediate release of this internationally known and respected independent journalist.”

The added in the joint statement that “Russian authorities have failed to present any credible evidence to justify their fabricated charges.”

The WSJ said that Gershkovich’s pretrial detention period during which evidence is compiled will run through May 29. The reporter’s lawyers will appeal the case in a court hearing April 18. The Journals said the court could uphold his detention, move him to another jail, give him house arrest or grant him bail.

PREVIOUSLY, March 30 AM: The White House has issued a statement condemning Russia’s detention of Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich “in the strongest terms,” and is reiterating State Department warnings that U.S. citizens residing or traveling in Russia “should depart immediately.”

“We are deeply concerned by the troubling reports that Evan Gershkovich, an American citizen, has been detained in Russia,” said White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre in the statement. She went on to say that the White House and State Department officials have spoken the representatives of the Wall Street Journal and has been in contact with Gershkovich’s family.

“Furthermore, the State Department has been in direct touch with the Russian government on this matter, including actively working to secure consular access to Mr. Gershkovich,” reads the statement.

The statement – read it in full below – also said the “targeting of American citizens by the Russian government” is “unacceptable.” Jean-Pierre also reiterated the U.S. government’s warning that Americans should not travel to Russia.

“U.S. citizens residing or traveling in Russia should depart immediately, as the State Department continues to advise,” the statement continues.

The detention of the Moscow-based reporter is thought to be the first such detention of an American journalist since the Cold War era and the fall of the Soviet Union. Russian authorities have accused Gershkovich of espionage, a claim rejected by the Wall Street Journal.

“The Wall Street Journal vehemently denies the allegations from the [Russian Federal Security Service] and seeks the immediate release of our trusted and dedicated reporter, Evan Gershkovich,” the newspaper said in a statement. “We stand in solidarity with Evan and his family.”

Gershkovich has pleaded not guilty to espionage charges, according the Russian state news agency Tass. Under Russia’s criminal code, the correspondent could face up to 20 years in prison. “Espionage trials in the country can take months and are typically conducted in secret,” The New York Times reports. “Acquittals are virtually unheard-of.”

Jean-Pierre’s full statement reads:

We are deeply concerned by the troubling reports that Evan Gershkovich, an American citizen, has been detained in Russia.

Last night, White House and State Department Officials spoke with Mr. Gershkovich’s employer, the Wall Street Journal. The Administration has also been in contact with his family. Furthermore, the State Department has been in direct touch with the Russian government on this matter, including actively working to secure consular access to Mr. Gershkovich.

The targeting of American citizens by the Russian government is unacceptable. We condemn the detention of Mr. Gershkovich in the strongest terms.

We also condemn the Russian government’s continued targeting and repression of journalists and freedom of the press.

I want to strongly reiterate that Americans should heed the U.S. government’s warning to not travel to Russia. U.S. citizens residing or traveling in Russia should depart immediately, as the State Department continues to advise.