The Wall Street Journal reported that its correspondent in Moscow, the American journalist Ivan Gershkovich, who has been detained by the Russian authorities since last week on charges of espionage, was able on Tuesday to meet with his lawyers.

EDITED BY | ALEXANDER YAXINA

WORLD SECTION

5 APRIL 2025 - USA

     Since his detention, Gershkovitch has been unable to communicate with the newspaper's lawyers until they are allowed to visit him for the first time on Tuesday.

"We are hopeful that the team of attorneys for Evan hired by Dow Jones (the newspaper's parent company) were able to meet him in prison today," Emma Tucker, the paper's editor-in-chief, wrote in a note to her colleagues.

"He is grateful for the outpouring of support from around the world. We continue to call for his immediate release."

Moscow's arrest of Gershkovitch, a former journalist for the AFP news agency, prompted an outcry from US media, rights groups, and government officials.

The prestigious American newspaper denies the accusations against its reporter, and Gershkovitch appealed on Monday against his detention decision, which is scheduled to continue until at least May 29.

"The legal avenue is one of many avenues that we will use to defend Evan in order to secure his release," Tucker said.

"We continue to work with the White House, State Department, and US government officials to secure Evan's release," she said.

US President Joe Biden called for Gershkovitch's release on Friday, with the White House describing the charges against him as "ridiculous".

Russia has waged a widespread crackdown on its press since its invasion of Ukraine, in addition to escalating tensions between Washington and Moscow, which have included the arrest of American citizens.

Last year, the Russian authorities arrested American basketball star Brittney Graner in Moscow on charges of drug possession, before releasing her in December in a prisoner exchange that saw Washington release Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout.

Washington accuses Moscow of arbitrarily detaining Americans in order to secure the release of Russian prisoners abroad.

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