The US ambassador to Russia visited the imprisoned journalist Evan Gershkovich of The Wall Street Journal on Tuesday. A week ago, a Russian court supported the extension of his pre-trial detention.
Gershkovic is a 31 year old American citizen who has been recognized by the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs as a journalist in Russia. On March 29th, during an interview in Yekaterinburg, Russia, he was detained by Federal Security Service agents. He was detained on charges of espionage, but he himself, the Wall Street Journal, and the US government firmly deny this accusation.
Tuesday was the fifth visit by US Ambassador Lynne Tracy to Gershkovic since his detention.
Tracy has not yet commented on the visit to Geshkovich. After her last visit to Gershkovic on September 15th, the US Embassy in Russia issued a statement stating that 'Gershkovic remains strong and has been following the news'.
The Biden administration has stated that Gershkovic is not a spy and has never worked for the US government. Gershkovic was the first American journalist arrested since the end of the Cold War on charges of espionage in Russia. The US State Department has determined that Geskovich has been improperly detained, which has triggered extensive actions by the US government to rescue him.
Since Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, US Russian relations have been very tense.
Russian President Vladimir Putin blamed the war on the United States, claiming that Washington's foreign policy undermined world stability and threatened Russia. The United States condemns Moscow's attacks on its smaller neighbors for no reason. The United States and its European allies have imposed severe sanctions on Russia and provided large-scale military and economic assistance to Ukraine to help it expel Russian troops from Ukrainian territory.
The issue of consular visits for American citizens during their detention in Russia has always been a controversial issue between the United States and Russia. According to the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations of 1963, consular officials of various countries have the right to visit citizens arrested or detained in other countries. The United States and Russia are both signatories to the Convention.
Since Gershkovic's arrest about seven months ago, Russian courts have rejected several appeals filed by his lawyer, including at least one request for the court to grant him bail, agree to restrict his actions, or allow him to wait for trial under house arrest.
Geshkovich's initial pre-trial detention was originally scheduled to expire on May 29th. On October 10th, a Russian court extended his imprisonment until November 30th. The date for his trial has not been determined yet. In Russia, people accused of espionage are rarely acquitted.
The Russian government has not publicly provided evidence to support this espionage charge. Russian officials stated that this case complies with the regulations of the country's judicial system.
US officials have stated that they are in contact with officials from countries where Russian citizens are being held and are willing to use these prisoners in exchange for the release of Gershkovic and other Americans detained in Russia. But they warned that securing the release of Geskovic "could be quite difficult".
Russian officials have hinted at the possibility of accepting such an exchange, but have stated that considering any prisoner exchange involving Geshkovich must wait until the court makes a judgment on his case.
Like Gershkovic, Paul Whelan, a US citizen and former US Marine, was also found by the US government to have been improperly detained. Whelan was convicted of espionage in 2020 and is currently serving 16 years in prison in Russia. Both Whelan's family and the US government claim that he is not a spy, and Whelan also claims to be innocent.