Cronkite school of journalism at
Arizona state university.
>> For the first time in nearly
40 years, Russian authorities
arrested an American journalist
and charged him with espionage.
He was detained by intelligence
agents yesterday while reporting
in central Russia.
It is an escalation of a Kremlin
campaign that has targeted
independent media, opposition
politicians, and any critics of
the full-scale invasion of
Ukraine.
>> It is a moment not seen since
the cold war.
An American journalist accused
of espionage detained by Russian
police.
Russian intelligence agents
arrested Evan Gursky which as he
reported 900 miles east of
Moscow.
Police took him into a closed
court hearing in the federal
security service accused him of
acting on instructions from the
American side to collect
information about the activities
of one of the enterprises of the
Russian military industrial
complex, that constitutes a
state secret.
>> Under the cover of journalist
activity, this person has been
involved in a completely
different kind of activity.
What he has been doing, I'm
speaking about this case only
for now, is not journalism.
>> In response, the Wall Street
journal denied the allegations
and seeks the immediate release
of our trusted and dedicated
reporter.
>> The charges against him are
ridiculous.
>> In Washington, the U.S. Said
it was trying to gain access and
warned Americans living in
Russia to leave.
>> This is sadly common for
Russia to detain Americans.
That is what we have been very
clear about Americans not going
to Russia.
It is not safe for Americans
right now in Russia.
>> Russia holds another
American, former marine Paul
Wheeling, arrested in December
2018.
A Russian court convicted him on
espionage charges that they call
a sham.
In today's Russia, Russians are
most often targeted.
At least seven Russian
journalists have been arrested
and charged since the full-scale
invasion of Ukraine.
Single father faced punishment
for questioning the war on
social media.
Russian authorities investigated
him after his daughter made this
school drawing.
Glory.
Note to war.
Authorities separated them.
She was forced to an orphanage,
he faces two years in prison.
He fled and was detained.
The daughter trying to comfort
the father.
She wrote a letter please don't
worry about me.
Please don't give up.
I love you.
You are my hero.
Since the invasion, the human
rights organization said police
detained nearly 20,000 for
criticizing the war.
Among them, the opposition
leader.
He is a longtime Kremlin critic
and target.
Twice has been poisoned.
>> At this stage when you are
lying there gasping for air, I
felt life slowly going out of my
whole body.
>> We interviewed him and his
wife in 2017.
After the full-scale invasion,
he returned to Russia to
continue his work.
Last April, authorities arrested
him.
He's on trial for high treason.
>> Have you ever asked him not
to go back?
>> It is terrifying.
Not going to lie to you.
But I want him to continue to do
what he thinks is important.
What he thinks is right.
>> Now she has continued
Vladimir's work.
The free Russia foundations
director for advocacy.
She vows to keep fighting for
her husband and justice for as
long as it takes.
For the pbs newshour, Nick
schifrin.
>> With us once again is -- and
Andrew Weiss joins us.
He served in the George H W bush
and Clinton administrations.
Thank you both for being here.
Russia earlier this month began
the closed door trial of your
husband.
He faces more than two decades
in prison on charges including
treason for comments critical of
the Kremlin.
How is he doing and how is the
case unfolding?
>> Thank you for having me here.
Everything in my husband's case
is happening behind closed
doors.
The entire trial happening
behind closed doors because the
Russian authorities are afraid
to give him a platform, even if
it is a courtroom to speak.
And he will continue to speak
out.
He will continue to pose the
regime.
And there are accusations
against him including
dissemination of forced
information in the war in
Ukraine, or in other words,
denouncing the war crimes
committed by the Russian army on
the territory of Ukraine and
calling for the creation of a
tribunal to prosecute all those
responsible.
And high treason for public
speeches he made on different
international platforms in which
he denounced the regime, talked
about political persecution in
Russia, and the ever-growing
number of political prisoners in
the Russian Federation.
>> How are detainees treated?
>> It really depends.
I can tell you the Russian
authorities are now using a
whole spectrum of intimidating
techniques and repressive
mechanisms.
That include an punitive
psychiatry, torture, sexual
violence, in prison terms, it
can go up to 15 years for just
saying no to the war.
Protests in any way, even making
a post on social media, putting
a like under someone else's
post.
Reposting information.
The dissemination of not only
forcing information, about the
special operation.
For any kind of protest against
the official narrative, the
current Russian regime wants to
portray anyone who opposes the
narrative as either criminal,
insane, or a traitor.
This is what we have in Russia.
>> Vladimir Putin focused on
suppressing dissent.
But you say it is a mistake to
believe he's been successful in
suffocating the resistance
movement.
>> Absolutely.
I believe he very much depends
on creating this image for the
entire world.
The image in which the entire
Russian population stands behind
him and the war.
The number of people detained
over the last year, over 20,000
people for protesting against
the war and official Kremlin
policies shows there are
probably millions against what
is happening but afraid to speak
up.
Because they see what happens to
those who dare to oppose the
regime.
>> The Biden white house today
condemned the detention of the
American Wall Street journal
reporter for what Moscow
described as espionage.
The white house national
security spokesperson said the
administration had no advanced
awareness of a new Russian
effort to target American
journalists.
Does his detention read to you
like a stepped up effort on the
part of the Russians to target
Americans with the end goal of a
prisoner swap?
>> It is hard to speculate given
how few concrete facts have been
released, and we need to be
careful not to assume what the
Russians are saying is true.
In this instance, a small number
of western journalists have gone
back in and out since the war
began.
At the beginning, everyone left.
The message from the U.S.
Administration has been clear,
no Americans should be in Russia
due to the threat of arbitrary
detention or worse.
Now we have something that looks
Espionage charges, real
potential for a very long prison
sentence.
>> The official Russian line is
he's a spy.
The white house said it is
unsubstantiated.
If you look at his recent
reporting, he was writing about
Russia's economic struggles,
troubles on the battlefield, the
Wegner group, a paramilitary
force with ties to Vladimir
Putin.
Does it suggest what he may have
been targeted?
>> Western reporters who have
gone back for these reporting
trips have really punctured the
veil of lies and been able to
report and tell the truth about
how Russian society is reacting
to the war, the problems in the
economy, and problems within the
the Russian government doesn't
like criticism or scrutiny.
In a situation like this, I
think they are trying to push
western journalists back out of
the country.
He can be targeted, so can you.
>> We saw what it took to secure
the release of Renee Greiner.
Paul Whelan has been held for
more than 40 years.
What are the prospects?
>> It is a green picture at the
moment.
No one has been formally accused
of espionage or treason since
the late 1990's.
There was one case in the cold
war era in 1986 of a western
journalists arrested on
espionage charges.
He was released an accomplice
maneuver involving the you --
U.S. And soviet governments.
I think the focus right now has
to be on not treating the
Russian assertions as accurate.
On his face, it is a laughable
accusation.
It also being careful to do what
we can to make sure we don't
endanger him more than he
already is.
>> As we wrap up our
conversation, what do you make
of that?
And this current moment?
>> This is a regime that doesn't
value human life.
Has never valued human life.
This is a regime that has been
committing these kinds of
crimes, including war crimes,
for years.
They have already committed war
crimes in chechnya and Syria,
already carried out acts of
aggression against our neighbors
in Georgia and in Ukraine in
2014.
This is a regime that holds the
longest surveying Russian
political prisoner.
He's been behind bars for 20
years in violation of two
decisions of the European court
of human rights.
And several demands by the
committee of ministers for his
immediate release.
This is a regime that held over
300 political prisoners even
before the full-scale invasion
of Ukraine.
Now the numbers are growing by
the day.
It will take hostages, it will
try to erase Ukraine from the
face of the Earth.
It will accompany this war of
aggression by genocide.
It will do all of the possible
-- carry out all of the possible
crimes against its own
population.
This is why this regime has to
come down.
It has to be brought down.
The only way for Russia to stop
being a threat to itself and its
neighbors is for it to become a
democracy.
This regime cannot be
transformed into a democracy.
It has to stand trial for all of
the crimes committed against the
Russian people and everyone else
around.
This is the only way.
>> Thanks to you.
Our thoughts are with you, your
family, and husband.