World Bank President: Russia's Detention of Wall Street Journal Reporter is Outrageous

The President of the World Bank, David Malpass, stated today that Russia's detention of Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich is "outrageous" and constitutes a violation of fundamental press freedoms, including the safety of journalists. Russian news agencies reported on Friday that investigators from the Russian Federal Security Service charged Gershkovich last week with espionage, which the reporter has denied, asserting that he is a journalist. Recently, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced that the United States has initiated a formal process to determine whether Russia's detention of the Wall Street Journal reporter is an "illegal" action.