Kremlin Affirms The US Journalist Detained Violates Russian Law, President Biden: Absolutely Illegal

US President Joe Biden. (Twitter/@POTUS)

JAKARTA - The Kremlin reiterated on Tuesday that Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich had "violated Russian laws" and was caught red-handed, one day after the US State Department officially ruled his detention illegal.

Russia's federal security service (FSB) arrested Gershkovich last month on espionage charges that were widely dismissed as trumped up by the White House, other Western nations, the Wall Street Journal, dozens of media organizations and human rights groups.

The United States' decision that he was "unlawfully detained" means they believe he was targeted primarily because he is an American citizen, and the transfer of the case from the State Department to the office of the Special Envoy for Hostage Affairs raises the political profile of the issue.

"We made it clear that what happened was completely illegal and we declared it, so, changed the dynamic," US President Joe Biden told reporters, cited from Reuters, April 12.

Meanwhile, the Gershkovich family appreciates President Biden's call and has spoken with the president from the Democratic Party.

"We are pleased that the Department of State has formally declared Evan's detention unlawful. We appreciate President Biden's call to us today, assuring us that the US Government is doing everything in its power to bring him home as soon as possible," the family said in a statement.

Asked about the US State Department's move, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov repeated Russia's position, Gershkovich breaking the law.

He said Gershkovich had been "caught red-handed and violated the laws of the Russian Federation", before adding: "This is what is suspected, but of course, the court will make its decision".

More than 99 percent of criminal cases in Russia end in convictions, while Moscow has long been criticized by rights monitors for a lack of judicial independence.

Russia has provided no evidence to support the case against Gershkovich, which is being processed secretly, because Moscow says the case materials are confidential.

Next week, the court will hear an appeal from Gershkovich's legal team against the order to keep him in pre-trial detention at Moscow's Lefortovo prison until May 29.

Separately, another US detainee, Paul Whelan, was allowed to speak to his parents on Monday for the first time in 12 days, his brother David said.

Whelan, a former Marine who has been held in Russia since 2018, was not included when the United States secured the release of basketball star Brittney Griner in exchange for arms dealer Viktor Bout in December.

"Paul's fear of being abandoned a third time was evident in conversations he had with our parents yesterday," David Whelan said in a statement.