Spanish Journalist Arrested for Spying for Russia
A picture of journalist Pablo Gonzalez displayed on the phone of the journalist's wife, Oihana Goiriena, after he was arrested on espionage charges by Polish authorities in Nabarniz, Spain, March 5, 2022. Credits: REUTERS/ Vincent West.
Pablo González is a Spanish journalist best known by his Russian name Pavel Rubtsov. Due to his dual citizenship, it is quite likely that he is currently incarcerated in a Polish jail cell accused of spying for Russian intelligence. He could be jailed for as long as 10 years if convicted.
The Polish secret services claim he used his journalistic role as a cover, but there is no evidence to support this claim. Gonzalez will deny the charges, said his lawyer, Gonzalo Boye, who says his client is a freelance reporter. Despite having family ties to Russia, González isn't a part of Vladimir Putin's secret service, Boye said. The journalist was arrested on February 28. He was scheduled to cross the border into Ukraine on that day with a group of reporters. Gonzalez will be held in a prison about 400 kilometers from Warsaw for at least three months, according to his lawyer.
González specializes in covering conflicts in eastern Europe, including the Ukraine and Nagorno-Karabakh, often examining the toll of conflict on those living there. He has freelanced for Voice of America, Público, the Basque nationalist newspaper Gara and the Spanish TV channel laSexta.
Gonzalez was about to travel to Ukraine allegedly to "continue his activities," according to the statement of the Polish security services. According to the International Federation of Journalists, González was accused of pro-Russian bias in his coverage for a Spanish newspaper. On February 8, eight agents from the Center for National Intelligence, the Spanish secret service, knocked on Goiriena's door to inform her that González had been arrested in Ukraine.
A statement released by VOA stated, "González is a freelance journalist based in Europe who has provided content to a number of media outlets. González is believed to have submitted six stories to VOA between October 2020 and July 2021, also providing some camera operator services last month."
The statement added that the network, "out of an abundance of caution," has removed his content and is reviewing it, and has notified the VOA/USAGM security office of his arrest.
