Blinken conveyed 'grave concern' over the Kremlin's detention of journalist Evan Gershkovich on espionage allegations and called for his immediate release.
Secretary of State Anthony Blinked called on Russia to release journalist Evan Gershovich and Paul WhelanBlinken conveyed "grave concern" over the Kremlin's detention of journalist Evan Gershkovich on espionage allegations and called for his immediate release. Lama Hasan reports.
Whelan, a Michigan corporate security executive, has been imprisoned in Russia since December 2018 on espionage charges that his family and the U.S. government have said are baseless. He is serving a 16-year sentence. In its summary of the call, Russia's foreign ministry said Lavrov "drew Blinken's attention to the need to respect the decisions of the Russian authorities" about Gershkovich, whom Moscow claims, without evidence, "was caught red-handed."
U.S. consular officials have requested a visit with Gershkovich but no announcement of such access has been made. In alleging that U.S. officials and news media are hyping Gershkovich's detention, Russian officials are reprising a theme they used in the apprehensions of basketball star Brittney Griner and other U.S. citizens. The Kremlin has said it prefers to resolve such cases quietly and has emphasized the need to follow Russia's judicial process. Often, that means the chance of progress in U.S.
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