In visa retaliation row, Russia denies consular visit to jailed American reporter

Russia’s Foreign Ministry on Thursday turned down a request by the United States for consular access to jailed Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, who is in prison in Russia on espionage charges. The ministry said it rejected the request for the May 11 visit in retaliation to the US refusing to grant visas to Russian journalists who planned to accompany Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on a trip to the United Nations. The WSJ reporter has been in Russia’s custody since his March 29 arrest by the country’s security service on espionage charges that he, his employer and the US government have vehemently denied. Gershkovich is the first US correspondent since the Cold War to be detained in Russia on spying charges, and his arrest rattled journalists in the country and triggered outrage in the West. The United States has declared Gershkovich to be “wrongfully detained” and demanded his immediate release. The Russian denial of the US request for a consular visit to Gershkovich followed Lavrov warning that Moscow “will not forget and will not forgive” the denial of the visas to Russian journalists. The Foreign Ministry said on Friday it was also considering other retaliatory measures. “A protest note was presented in connection with the provocative conduct of the U.S. diplomatic mission, which thwarted the issuing of visas to mass media representatives from the press pool of Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, who were supposed to accompany him on his trip to New York as part of Russia’s presidency of the U.N. Security Council,” the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement. “The US Embassy was informed in this connection that its request for consular access to U.S. citizen Gershkovich, detained on suspicion of espionage, on May 11 was declined,” the ministry statement said. “Other possible retaliatory measures, about which the US side will be duly notified, are being considered.” Read all the Latest News, Trending News, Cricket News, Bollywood News, India News and Entertainment News here. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.