Russia rejects offer to release US journalists

According to the US government - Russia rejects offer to release US journalists

According to Moscow, the US government has made a new offer for the release of US citizens Evan Gershkovich and Paul Whelan, who are being held in custody in Russia.

"In recent weeks, we have made a new and significant proposal to secure the release of Paul and Evans. That proposal was rejected by Russia," said US State Department spokesman Matthew Miller. He did not give details of the offer. It was not the case that Moscow did not respond, Miller continued. It was an explicit rejection. Miller emphasized that Gershkovich and Whelan were wrongly imprisoned.

Gershkovich, Russia correspondent for the "Wall Street Journal", was arrested at the end of March on a reporting trip to Yekaterinburg for alleged espionage. The public prosecutor's office accuses him of collecting state secrets about the activities of a Russian arms company "on the instructions of the American side". Gershkovich and his employer, the "Wall Street Journal", deny that he was involved in espionage. A Moscow district court recently extended Gershkovich's pre-trial detention until January 30. The American Whelan has already been in custody in Russia for several years - also for alleged espionage.

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The offer from the United States Department of State to release US citizens Evan Gershkovich and Paul Whelan, both currently in custody in Russia for alleged espionage, was recently presented to Moscow. Despite this proposition, the Russian government has chosen to reject it, according to US State Department spokesman Matthew Miller. This rejection comes amidst ongoing detention for Gershkovich, a Russia correspondent for the "Wall Street Journal," who was arrested in Yekaterinburg for alleged espionage, and for Paul Whelan, an American who has been in custody for several years on similar charges. This situation has drawn attention from various media outlets, including the WSJ, and sparked diplomatic dialogue between the USA and Russia on the matter of justice and espionage in Moscow.

Source: www.stern.de