Poland says it has detained a Spanish journalist it accuses of spying for Russia.
The country's ABW counterintelligence agency said in a statement on March 4 that it detained the suspect at the Polish-Ukrainian border town of Przemysl and subsequently charged him with "participating in the activities of foreign intelligence against Poland."
"The man was identified as an agent of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the General Staff of the Russian Federation (GRU).
"He carried out activities for Russia using his journalistic status. As a result, he was able to move freely around Europe and the world, including zones affected by armed conflicts and areas of political tension," the Internal Security Agency statement said.
The ABW did not name the suspect, but his lawyer, Gonzalo Boye, revealed him as Pablo Gonzalez, a freelance reporter who has worked for the online media Publico and the television channel La Sexta.
Boye said that Gonzalez had been held incommunicado for 72 hours, "subjected to interrogations and without access to consular protection."
The media watchdog Reporters Without Borders said on Twitter it was urging the "ABW to explain the legal basis for his arrest, guarantee his safety and allow him immediate access to his lawyer and #Spain's consular services."
Meanwhile, the Committee to Protect Journalists has called on Polish officials to "immediately release" Gonzalez.
If found guilty of the charges, Gonzalez faces up to 10 years in prison.
