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| Evan Gershkovich at his June 22 Arraignment |
Wall Street Journal editor-in-chief Emma Tucker said reporter Evan Gershkovich, who has been detained by Russia during a reporting trip and accused of espionage, is in "good health and relatively good spirits" considering his dire circumstances.
Earlier this week, the U.S. ambassador to Moscow was permitted to visit the beloved journalist held at the notorious Lefortovo Prison for the first time since April, reports Fox Business.
"It was great news for us that the ambassador got in, because we had been requesting – the U.S. government had been requesting consulate access and the Russians kept denying it. Finally, they agreed. This was only the second time the ambassador was allowed in and she was able to report back that he’s in good health and relatively good spirits," Tucker said Friday on "Fox & Friends" during an appearance to mark the 100th day since Gershkovich was detained by Russia.
Gershkovich was detained March 29 in Yekaterinburg, the fourth-largest city in Russia, and accused of being a spy. The United States has all along asserted that Russia's allegation is ridiculous on its face, as have his colleagues, who describe the 31-year-old, American-born son of Soviet immigrants as a diligent reporter who is being used as a political pawn due to his high profile.
The Wall Street Journal and the U.S. government vehemently deny the allegation and have called for his immediate release. His arrest is seen as a brazen violation of press freedom that not only poses widespread consequences for journalism and the media, but to governments and democracies everywhere, and part of a wider journalism crackdown by the autocratic Russian Federation.
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