Voice of America has scrubbed from its site the work of a freelance journalist who was arrested by Polish officials on suspicion of being a Russian spy, saying the agency is “thoroughly reviewing” the published works.
At least six articles authored by reporter Pablo Gonzalez, who was detained on Feb. 28 near the Poland-Ukraine border, are now gone from the organization’s website. Gonzalez was charged with working as an agent of the GRU, Russia’s military intelligence agency.
Gonzalez, whom a top Polish counterintelligence agency said was of Russian origin, “was never a VOA employee, nor did he have a contract directly with” the agency, VOA spokeswoman Bridget Serchak said Monday.
“As a freelancer, his services were arranged through a third party company used by news organizations around the world,” she added. “While VOA is currently unaware of any information that would confirm the allegations against this freelancer, out of an abundance of caution, VOA has removed all of González’s content from its websites and social media accounts and is thoroughly reviewing the stories.”
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The organization noted Gonzalez’s arrest in an article published last Wednesday about a journalist killed by a Russian airstrike in Kyiv, writing that he had “filed some stories for VOA in 2020 and 2021.”
The Internal Security Agency, one of Poland’s intelligence agencies, alleged that Gonzalez operated under the guise of being a journalist to collect information on behalf of the Russian government. He has allegedly carried out operations in Poland and two other countries.
“Before his detention, he was planning to go to Ukraine in order to continue his activity,” the agency said.
The journalist, according to the release, was also carrying two passports and two Russian IDs that were attributed to two different names.
If convicted on the espionage charges, Gonzalez faces up to 10 years in prison.
In addition to VOA, Gonzalez has also worked for multiple Spanish media outlets, including Publico, an online newspaper, and La Sexta, a TV station.
While VOA is reviewing Gonzalez’s work amid the spying accusations, some in the media have come to his defense.
“We are concerned by Poland’s indictment of Spanish freelance reporter Pablo González on charges of spying for Russia,” Attila Mong, Europe representative for the Committee to Protect Journalists, said in a statement Friday.
“Polish authorities must guarantee that González has access to proper legal representation and a fair and transparent legal procedure, and ensure he is not sanctioned for his journalistic activities,” Mong added. “Reporting is not a crime.”
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The organization said it had been in contact with Gonzalez’s lawyer, Gonzalo Boye, who said that his client was questioned by authorities without his attorney present.
Boye also said Gonzalez had not been permitted to speak with anyone abroad in the days after his arrest.
“We are waiting for the Spanish consulate to arrange a permit for me to visit him in prison.”
