American newspaper The Wall Street Journal has called for the Russian ambassador and all Russian journalists to be expelled from the US in response to journalist Evan Gershkovich being arrested on espionage charges. The corresponding statement was posted on the WSJ website.
WSJ notes that the journalist’s arrest “escalates the Kremlin’s habit of taking Americans hostage”. The publication has called upon Joe Biden’s Administration to ensure Gershkovich’s release and to consider diplomatic and political escalation.
“Expelling Russia’s ambassador to the U.S., as well as all Russian journalists working here, would be the minimum to expect. The U.S. government’s first duty is to protect its citizens, and too many governments now believe they can arrest and imprison Americans with impunity. The brazen arrest of an American journalist shows the declining ability of the U.S. to deter assaults on its citizens,” WSJ writes.
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Putin’s press secretary Dmitry Peskov reacted to WSJ’s proposal, branding it “absurd”.
“All the journalists who have a valid accreditation here (in Moscow — editor’s note), I mean foreign journalists, they can and continue to conduct their journalistic activities in our country,” he said.
According to Peskov, foreign journalists “don’t face any restrictions” in Russia and are “working just fine”.
The Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) detained WSJ journalist Evan Gershkovich on suspicion of espionage in Yekaterinburg on 29 March. Yesterday, 30 March, he was taken to Moscow; the Lefortovo court arrested him for two months.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken called upon American citizens who live in or are visiting Russia to immediately leave the country upon the news of the journalist’s arrest.
The Wall Street Journal has issued a statement in support of its staffer.
“The Wall Street Journal vehemently denies the allegations from the FSB and seeks the immediate release of our trusted and dedicated reporter, Evan Gershkovich. We stand in solidarity with Evan and his family,” the statement read.