The American ambassador to Russia met with the American journalist Evan Gerskovich, who is in prison in Moscow. It is the third visit authorities have allowed Ambassador Lynne Tracy to visit since he was arrested in March.
"Ambassador Tracy announced that Evan is in good health and doing well, despite the situation," the US Embassy in Moscow said in a statement. Tracy last visited him on July 3rd.
The American journalist has been detained in Moscow's Lefortovo prison for almost 20 weeks. He was arrested on March 29 on espionage charges while on assignment in Yekaterinburg. The 31-year-old journalist has denied all charges, and the State Department said he was being detained illegally.
Journalists are at increased risk of being detained or harassed when reporting from hostile countries, media analysts say. At this moment, two American journalists are detained abroad: Gershkovich in Russia and Austin Tice, a freelancer who was arrested in Syria.
Paul Beckett, the Journal's Washington bureau chief, told VOA that there is now an awareness that this can happen to anyone, and if it does, that everyone's support is needed.
"This is going to continue to happen as long as there are regimes that think they're getting some benefit out of it, and they're going to do it more and more and we all have to find an answer to that. So we'd like to see the authorities not only bring Evan and Austin back , but to think about how the governments participating in it do not benefit," said Beckett.
He spoke to VOA at the National Press Club in Washington, where a panel was held to draw attention to the Gershkovich and Tice cases. Monday marks exactly 11 years since Thais was kidnapped in Syria and is believed to be held captive by the Syrian government.
Clayton Weimers, executive director of the US bureau of Reporters Without Borders, told Voice of America that the cases of Tice and Gershkovic show that the United States needs a better strategy to respond to similar threats.
"The United States and real democracies in the world need to find a way to pay more for this bad manners. How do we first of all introduce stricter penalties for this hostage-taking," Weimers asked.
In the case of Geršković, the detention was extended until August 30. Last month, Moscow said Russia was in contact with Washington about a potential prisoner exchange.
A State Department spokesman told Voice of America on Monday that embassy officials will continue to provide support to Gershkovich and his family.
"We expect Russian authorities to continue to provide access to consular visits. Once again, the United States calls on the Russian Federation to immediately release Evan Gershkovich and illegally detained American citizen Paul Whelan," a State Department spokesman said.
Vilan is a former US Marine who was sentenced to 16 years in prison by Russia for espionage, which he and the US government deny. US President Joseph Biden stated in July that America is "serious about a prisoner exchange" to free Gershkovich, but the White House stated that talks with the Kremlin and a potential exchange have not yet opened the way for a concrete solution.
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