US Ambassador Lynne Tracy visited Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich in a Moscow prison on Friday, the embassy said, as he prepares for a new appeal next week against his pre-trial detention on spying charges that he denies. Gershkovich was arrested on March 29 in the Urals city of Yekaterinburg on charges of espionage that carry up to 20 years in prison. His latest appeal against his detention is due to be heard next Tuesday, but previous ones have been rejected. This week she also visited Paul Whelan, an American convicted of espionage in 2020 and serving 16 years in a Russian penal colony on spying charges that he too denies. The United States has designated both men as “wrongfully detained”, meaning it considers the charges against them to be bogus and politically motivated.

Source: Wall Street Journal September 16, 2023 15:22 UTC