Latest news with #EvanGershkovich
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Russia says it plans to summon the German ambassador over alleged harassment of its journalists
MOSCOW (Reuters) -Russia will summon the German ambassador soon to inform him of retaliatory measures in response to what it sees as the harassment of Russian journalists based in Germany, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on Thursday. Russia has clashed repeatedly with Germany over the issue, and expelled a German correspondent and cameraman last November in what it said was a symmetrical response to German moves against Russian state TV journalists. Germany said the Russians' departure was linked to residence rules, and that Russian journalists can report freely in the country. Zakharova said Germany was applying undue "pressure and harassment" against Russian journalists and their family members. She has previously spoken of passports being revoked and limits on journalists' freedom of movement. Russia continues to accredit Western correspondents, although many left the country after Moscow in 2022 launched its full-scale war against Ukraine, which was followed by the passage of new censorship laws, and the 2023 arrest of U.S. reporter Evan Gershkovich on spying charges. Gershkovich, who denied the accusation, was freed in a prisoner swap last year.
Reuters
2 days ago
- Politics
- Reuters
Russia says it plans to summon the German ambassador over alleged harassment of its journalists
MOSCOW, June 26 (Reuters) - Russia will summon the German ambassador soon to inform him of retaliatory measures in response to what it sees as the harassment of Russian journalists based in Germany, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on Thursday. Russia has clashed repeatedly with Germany over the issue, and expelled a German correspondent and cameraman last November in what it said was a symmetrical response to German moves against Russian state TV journalists. Germany said the Russians' departure was linked to residence rules, and that Russian journalists can report freely in the country. Zakharova said Germany was applying undue "pressure and harassment" against Russian journalists and their family members. She has previously spoken of passports being revoked and limits on journalists' freedom of movement. Russia continues to accredit Western correspondents, although many left the country after Moscow in 2022 launched its full-scale war against Ukraine, which was followed by the passage of new censorship laws, and the 2023 arrest of U.S. reporter Evan Gershkovich on spying charges. Gershkovich, who denied the accusation, was freed in a prisoner swap last year.
Al Arabiya
12-06-2025
- Politics
- Al Arabiya
US ambassador to Russia to leave post soon, says embassy
Lynne Tracy, the US ambassador to Russia, will soon leave her post, her embassy said on Thursday, after serving through one of the most tense and difficult periods in relations between Moscow and Washington. Tracy, a career diplomat, arrived in Moscow in January 2023 and was greeted by protesters chanting anti-US slogans when she went to the Foreign Ministry to present her credentials. Russia had questioned her suitability for the post, suggesting she might feel more at home in a hawkish think-tank. Her term was dominated by the Ukraine war, which plunged US-Russia ties to a level described by the Kremlin last year as 'below zero.' She was notably involved in efforts to win the release of US citizens jailed in Russia including journalist Evan Gershkovich and former marine Paul Whelan, who were eventually freed in August 2024 as part of a big East-West prisoner swap. Since Donald Trump returned to the White House in January, Russia and the US have launched a series of contacts aimed at improving relations. Russia's new ambassador to Washington, Alexander Darchiev, formally presented his credentials to Trump on Wednesday. Both sides say there is huge potential for business and investment deals if relations improve, though Trump has voiced frustration about Russia's war actions in Ukraine and the lack of any visible progress towards a peace deal. Tracy's tenure is likely to be similar in duration to her predecessor, John Sullivan, who served as ambassador for two years and seven months from February 2020 to September 2022.
CBS News
06-06-2025
- Politics
- CBS News
Russian state media says American Joseph Tater out of country after arrest, psychiatric hospitalization
Joseph Tater, a U.S. citizen arrested in Russia in August 2024 after an apparent tussle with hotel staff and then forcibly admitted to a psychiatric hospital in April this year, without ever standing trial, has left Russia, according to the country's state-run TASS news agency. TASS said Tater, 46, was discharged from a psychiatric facility in Moscow, where he spent over a month. In April, TASS reported that Tater had been examined by doctors and diagnosed with a mental disorder, and then admitted for compulsory psychiatric treatment. Tater was accused by Russian authorities of abusing hotel staff in Moscow upon his initial arrest. Officials later said he was also being investigated on suspicion of assaulting a police officer, a charge that could have seen him face up to five years in prison. Tater claimed during a court hearing that he was being persecuted by the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency and was seeking political asylum in Russia. In this photo released by Meshchansky District Court press service on Wednesday, Aug. 14, 2024, U.S. citizen Joseph Tater stands in a courtroom facing criminal assault charges after allegedly attacking a police officer in a Moscow hotel. Meshchansky District Court Press Service via AP Russia imprisoned several Americans as tensions with Washington soared in recent years. Paul Whelan, Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich and teacher Marc Fogel were all designated wrongfully detained by the U.S. government, along with dual U.S.-Russian national Ksenia Karelina. All four of those Americans have been freed in prisoner swaps with Moscow. Among the U.S. nationals still jailed in Russia is U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Gordon Black, whose three-year, nine-month prison sentence for robbing and threatening his Russian girlfriend was reduced in April by seven months. Robert Gilman, 72, is currently serving a 3 1/2-year sentence in Russia for assaulting a police officer, and Travis Leake, a musician convicted on drug charges, was sentenced to 13 years in prison last summer. A Russian court sentenced another 72-year-old American, Stephen Hubbard, to nearly seven years in prison in October for fighting alongside Ukraine's military. TASS quoted Tater's lawyer, Polina Vlasyuk, as saying she had no information regarding his whereabouts or circumstances. contributed to this report.
The Sun
12-05-2025
- Politics
- The Sun
Pope Leo urges release of jailed journalists around the world in passionate speech backing free speech
POPE Leo spoke up for the 'precious gift of free speech' yesterday and called for the release of jailed journalists. Leo told of the scourge of fake news and online hatred in an address to 6,000 members of the media in Vatican City. 3 3 The pontiff echoed his predecessor Francis's plea for careful communication 'in favour of peace' rather than inflammatory rants. His speech took aim at nations including China, Israel, Myanmar, Belarus and Russia, which have jailed the most journalists. Those held by tyrannical regimes include Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich. He was released 16 months after being held on trumped-up charges in Vladimir Putin's Russia in 2023. Pope Leo said: 'Peace begins with each one of us… 'In the way we look at others, listen to others and speak about others. In this sense, the way we communicate is of fundamental importance. 'We must say 'no' to the war of words and images, we must reject the paradigm of war. The suffering of these imprisoned journalists challenges the conscience of nations and the international community, calling on all of us to safeguard the precious gift of free speech and of the press Leo 'Let me reiterate the Church's solidarity with journalists who are imprisoned for seeking to report the truth, and I also ask for the release of these imprisoned journalists. "The suffering of these imprisoned journalists challenges the conscience of nations and the international community, calling on all of us to safeguard the precious gift of free speech and of the press.' Leo hit out at social media bullies and trolls who try to dominate online debates. Robert Prevost elected as Pope Leo XIV - the first from North American He said: 'We have experienced — we can say together — truly special days. 'We have shared them through every form of media: TV, radio, internet, and social media. 'I sincerely hope each of us can say that these days unveiled a little bit of the mystery of our humanity and left us with a desire for love and peace. 'For this reason, I repeat the invitation by Pope Francis: 'Let us disarm communication of all prejudice and resentment, fanaticism and even hatred; let us free it from aggression. 'We do not need loud, forceful communication, but rather communication that is capable of listening and of gathering the voices of the weak who have no voice.' Leo added: 'You are at the forefront of reporting on conflicts and aspirations for peace, on situations of injustice and poverty. I ask you to choose consciously and courageously the path of communication in favour of peace.' 3
