US still hasn’t gotten consular access to American reporter in Russian jail

As of late Thursday, American attempts to contact Evan Gershkovich, the Wall Street Journal columnist detained by Russian regulators last week on espionage charges, had been fruitless.

According to John Kirby, representative of the National Security Council, American officials want to speak with Russian authorities about gaining access to Gershkovich.

JOURNAL Writer US CONDEMNS RUSSIA’S ARREST OF WALL STREET

” Judicial exposure has still not been granted to us. And through our ambassador in Moscow with the Russians, we frequently bring up that issue, he continued. It’s unacceptable’s, so I wish I had a great response for that. We must gain diplomatic connection to Evan.

Gershkovich is being represented by the ZKS law company in Moscow, and on Tuesday, his attorneys were able to connect with him. The blogger will be detained in a judicial detention facility at the Lefortovo prison until May 29.

According to Russian news organizations, Gershkovich’s appeal’s will be heard by the Moscow City Court on April 18. Authorities in Yekaterinburg, Russia, where he was detained next year, charged him with espionage on American soil. If found guilty, Gershkovich faces a 20-year phrase.

According to Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Gershkovich is being held unlawfully, according to a designation that the State Department determines based on the law governing the court’s jurisdiction. He wasn’t, however, claiming that was the district’s decision’s.

He stated in Belgium,” In Evan’s case’s, we are completing the determination of wrongful detention. There is a process to do that, and it is something we’re doing’re fairly deliberately, but expeditiously as well.” ” I’ll let’ll that procedure develop. I told Foreign Minister Lavrov over the weekend that there is no question in my mind that he is being unfairly detained by Russia.

The Special Presidential Envoy for Hostage Affairs, under the direction of Roger Carstens, handles incidents involving improper confinement.

Mitch McConnell( R-Ky ) and Chuck Schumer( D-NY ) both issued a joint statement urging Russia to free Gershkovich.

TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER, Press HERE.

The Belarusian Ministry of Foreign Affairs granted Mr. Gershkovich permission to work as a columnist in Russia. Russian officials have not presented any solid proof to support their made-up accusations since his arrest, the match wrote. There is no mistaking the fact that media is not a murder. We demand that the unfounded, made-up accusations against Mr. Gershkovich been dropped, that he be freed right away, and that we reaffirm our condemnation of the Russian president’s ongoing’s efforts to terrify, stifle independent journalists and civil society tones.

About 200 Russian journalists and organizations joined a letter earlier this week that also demanded his release and expressed skepticism about the spying allegations made against him.