(Washington) The United States ambassador to Russia was authorized on Monday to visit in prison the American journalist Evan Gershkovich, arrested at the end of March, who she says is “in good health”.
Lynne Tracy went to Moscow’s Lefortovo prison, the US State Department said. This is only their second meeting since the arrest of the journalist during a report in Yekaterinburg (Urals) on March 29.
The Russian authorities have repeatedly refused to grant a consular visit to Evan Gershkovich, targeted by accusations of “espionage” which he rejects.
“Ambassador Tracy has communicated that Mr. Gershkovich is in good health and remains strong, despite the circumstances,” a State Department spokesperson said.
Evan Gershkovich, who worked for AFP, is the first foreign journalist arrested in Russia for espionage since the fall of the Soviet Union.
His arrest comes in the context of serious diplomatic tensions between the United States and Russia caused by the conflict in Ukraine, where Washington supports Kyiv militarily and financially against Moscow.
The United States and Evan Gershkovich’s employer, the Wall Street Journal, like him reject the charges of “espionage” made by the Russian authorities.
They accuse Moscow of attacking him because of his work as a journalist.
The State Department has indicated that it will continue to press for Evan Gershkovich’s release and will seek regular consular access in the meantime.
Russia said it denied such access in response to the US refusal to issue visas to some Russian journalists in April.
Last week, the head of American diplomacy, Antony Blinken, expressed concern about this lack of access to Evan Gershkovich and assured that the United States was pushing “virtually every day” to remedy it.
“At the same time, we continue to look for ways to bring him home,” just like Paul Whelan, a former Marine Corps non-commissioned officer who has been incarcerated for four years, Blinken added.
Ambassador Tracy has not seen Mr. Whelan since May.
A Moscow court rejected Evan Gershkovich’s June 22 release request. Lynne Tracy, who attended the hearing, said the United States was “extremely disappointed”.
Washington has sharply reduced high-level contacts with Moscow since the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, but made exceptions to arrange two prisoner swaps.
In December, American basketball player Brittney Griner, arrested in Russia on cannabis trafficking charges, was freed against Viktor Bout, a Russian arms dealer held prisoner in the United States.