WASHINGTON, April 10 (Reuters) - Russia has not granted U.S. consular officials access to Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich since he was detained late last month and is in violation of international law, State Department deputy spokesperson Vedant Patel said on Monday.
Patel told reporters at a regular press briefing that Moscow had over the weekend formally notified Washington of the detention, but the United States is still seeking consular access to Gershkovich, who has been detained since March 29 on espionage charges.
"At this point it is a violation of Russia's obligations under our consular convention and a violation against international law," Patel said.
The United States and the Soviet Union agreed in a treaty signed in 1964 that a consular officer shall be allowed to visit a detained or arrested citizen of the other state within two to four days of detention depending on their location.
"We have stressed the need for the Russian government to provide this access as soon as possible," Patel added.
The Russian embassy in Washington did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Lawyers for the Wall Street Journal have visited the journalist, and the newspaper has called for his immediate release.
The United States has called for Russia to release Gershkovich and dismissed claims of espionage as ridiculous.
Reporting by Daphne Psaledakis and Simon Lewis; Editing by Chris Reese and Jonathan Oatis
Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
Protean_Protein on April 10th, 2023 at 23:45 UTC »
By reporting, documenting, and insisting on violations of international law, we do not necessarily expect immediate, direct, repercussions. But we are leaving a historical record that will vindicate the actions that we do take, if they align with these statements, or hold those responsible (including us) accountable in either case. Just because a declaration like this doesn’t have immediate teeth doesn’t mean it’s redundant or futile.
Light_Beard on April 10th, 2023 at 22:23 UTC »
All these people saying "duuhhhh" are missing the point. The point is to remind Russia that if they want their citizens arrested elsewhere to have consular access they better do the same.
tickleyourfanny on April 10th, 2023 at 19:30 UTC »
Gonna sanction them over them violating international law? pretty sure they are violating all sorts of international laws at the moment so whats one more..