Russia formally charges Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich with espionage

Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich has been formally charged with espionage by Russia.

Evan Gershkovich, the Wall Street Journal reporter jailed by the authorities in Russia, has today, Friday, April 7, been formally charged with espionage. The American citizen was originally detained in a restaurant in the city of Yekaterinburg and subsequently transferred to Moscow.

After his arrest, the authorities accused Gershkovich of trying to obtain classified information about a Russian arms factory. These are allegations that have been vehemently denied by the American news outlet that he works for.

An official charge of espionage was filed by FSB investigators although the detainee denied all charges levelled against him, according to tass.ru. Under the rules of the Russian legal system, once such charges are filed then it means that a criminal probe has been launched. There was no further information offered by the news outlet to suggest whether a hearing actually took place.

“The FSB investigation charged Hershkovich with espionage in the interests of his country. He categorically denied all accusations and stated that he was engaged in journalistic activities in Russia”, reported the law enforcement agency’s interlocutor. He refused to comment further, as the journalist’s case is marked ‘top secret’.

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