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Blinken Says US Will Soon Finish 'Wrongful Detention' Review for Reporter Arrested in Russia

© AP Photo / Jacquelyn MartinSecretary of State Antony Blinken.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken. - Sputnik International, 1920, 05.04.2023
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WASHINGTON (Sputnik) - The US State Department will soon finish its "wrongful detention" determination for Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, who was detained in Russia last month on espionage charges, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Wednesday.
"I want to make sure that, as always, because there is a formal process, that we go through it. And we will, and I expect that to be completed soon," Blinken said during a press conference, when asked about Gershkovich.
Even as the United States engages with other countries to bring detained US citizens home, it can also increase pressure and apply penalties on those who engage in unlawful detentions, Blinken added.
Evan Gershkovich, US journalist working for the Wall Street Journal detained in Russia on suspicion of spying for Washington, is escorted out of the Lefortovsky court in Moscow on March 30, 2023. - Sputnik International, 1920, 03.04.2023
Russia
Defense Appeals Pre-Trial Detention of WSJ Reporter Gershkovich in Russia
On March 30, the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) detained Gershkovich, a WSJ Moscow Bureau correspondent, in Yekaterinburg on suspicion of espionage in favor of the United States. According to the FSB, the journalist was collecting classified information about the activities of one of Russia's military-industrial complex firms. Later that day, the Lefortovo District Court of Moscow decided to place Gershkovich in pre-trial detention for two months until May 29.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that the reporter had been caught red-handed, and Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova stated that Gershkovich's activities in Yekaterinburg had nothing to do with journalism.
The WSJ has denounced any charges against Gershkovich and demanded his immediate release. EU High Representative Josep Borrel, UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres and US President Joe Biden, among many other Western leaders, have condemned the journalist's arrest.
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