NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg has called for the "immediate release" of Evan Gershkovich, the Wall Street Journal reporter arrested in Russia last week on charges of espionage.
"His arrest is of great concern," Stoltenberg said at a press conference held at the alliance's Brussels headquarters on Monday. "It is important to respect freedom of the press, the rights of journalists and the right to ask questions and to do their job."
Stoltenberg's comments echoed similar remarks made on Friday by US President Joe Biden, who called on Russia to "let [Gershkovich] go". They also follow a call made by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken to Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Sunday, in which Blinken exhorted his Russian counterpart to release the 31-year-old American.
Gershkovich was arrested last week by Russia's FSB security services while dining at a steakhouse in Yekaterinburg, some 1,400 kilometres east of Moscow. He is reported to have been working on a story about the Wagner Group, the Russian mercenary firm which has been accused of committing numerous war crimes during the course of Russia's war in Ukraine.
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Gershkovich's arrest represents the first time that a US reporter has been charged with espionage by the Russian authorities since the end of the Cold War. It comes against the background of increasing domestic repression in Russia since President Vladimir Putin launched the country's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February last year.
Gershkovich pleaded innocent to the charges of espionage in a Moscow court on Thursday. He has been ordered to remain in pre-trial detention at Moscow's notorious Lefortovo Prison until 29 May. If convicted, he faces up to 20 years in prison.
