Russia still wrongly detaining Gershkovich
Weeks after Evan Gershkovich, The Wall Street Journal’s Moscow Bureau chief, was detained by Russian authorities, I spent a morning at New York University in lower Manhattan, talking with young journalists about their aspirations.
I was representing USA TODAY and its network, of which this publication is part, and talking with NYU journalism students who were seeking internships and jobs. Whenever we recruit at such an event, we bring along inevitable swag — pens, mouse pads, phone accessories and even beverage koozies.
Before the event began, our colleagues from the Journal sought out me and Daniel Sforza, executive editor of NorthJersey.com and The Record. They brought a different kind of swag to share with colleagues and students at the NYU events: pinbacks that read “Free Evan.” They gave us each a button and expressed thanks for the signed editorial we published last April to call for Gershkovich’s freedom. That piece was signed by dozens of our USA TODAY Network colleagues across the Northeast and the nation. It’s one of the best editorials I’ve ever written and surely one I’ll be proud of for the duration of my career and beyond.
And, of course, the conversation that morning was of little else — the young journalists sharing and promoting their portfolios and their hopes were inspired by Gershkovich and his apparent resolve to see his unforgivable experience through to a safe and happy conclusion. It was inspiring — and remains so.
My Free Evan badge has been attached to my worn leather briefcase since that morning — and it will stay there until he is safely released by Russian authorities.
Why Gershkovich must be freed
Why did we call for Gershkovich’s freedom? And why did we make the same call last summer, 100 days after his detention began? And why do we do so again?
First, we believe that journalists should not be detained. Journalists, we believe, should not be arrested for doing their jobs — at home or abroad. Journalists should not be held — or tortured.
Second, we have grave concerns about the Putin regime — one that we believe is squarely bent on reviving Cold War power dynamics with the United States. Gershkovich’s detention is merely an episode in the string of recent events that demonstrates Russia’s effort to revive the tensions of 20th century.
Third, Gershkovich — like me and like Dan — grew up in the New Jersey suburbs. Evan is from Princeton — his parents, Soviet emigres, settled there — and he was a soccer player at Princeton High School. He went on to be a student journalist at Bowdoin College before embarking on an exciting career in our chosen craft. His story is more than familiar for us.
Before he arrived in Russia to lead The Journal’s Moscow Bureau in early 2022, Gershkovich had built an estimable portfolio of reporting as a correspondent and reporter. He began his career as a news assistant at The New York Times, and after a few other assignments there, he left to work as a correspondent for The Moscow Times before joining Agence France-Presse.
How was he detained?
As we wrote last July, Russian authorities falsely charged Gershkovich with espionage in the interests of a foreign state. The Journal and the U.S. government — including President Joe Biden — vehemently denied the allegations. They seek his speedy release, and we join them today in again calling for his rapid release. Their calls still warrant amplification — and still need action.
Gershkovich’s arrest remains a brazen violation of his freedom. His detention is chilling. It remains unacceptable — and, as we’ve said, it represents a threat to journalism, which is essential to the preservation of democracy and free society across the globe.
Gershkovich was detained March 29, 2023, by Russia’s Federal Security Service while on a reporting trip in Yekaterinburg — a city east of Moscow and the Urals. The FSB, the Russian security service that succeeded the KGB, has imprisoned Gershkovich in the notorious Lefortovo
Prison, which was long used by Russian communists to house dissidents.
Gershkovich, like Brittney Griner and Trevor Reed before him, is likely to be held for a considerable period of time.
The espionage charges leveled at Gershkovich continue to make for a complex and likely tedious period ahead — recent history has shown that Russian detentions of Americans are aimed at transactional goals. In the cases of Griner and Reed, whose releases were ultimately negotiated through diplomatic channels orchestrated by the Biden administration, trades were made for Russians serving prison sentences of their own for crimes committed on American soil.
That said, neither Griner nor Reed was a journalist. Nor were they journalists accredited with the Russian Foreign Ministry.
The message from Putin’s Kremlin, in arresting a credentialed American journalist working for an international outlet with a broad reputation and journalistic tradition, remains badly disturbing. This week, Gershkovich’s detention was further extended — after appeals made over 12 court appearances — until June 30.
“The actions of the Russian government are completely unjustified,” Emma Tucker, the Journal’s editor, wrote in a letter to her staff a year ago. “Evan is a member of the free press who, right up until he was arrested, was engaged in newsgathering. Any suggestions otherwise are false. His sole purpose in his work is to capture issues occurring around the world and to shed light on them so that the public can make informed decisions about how to navigate the future. We continue to call for his immediate release.”
Last week, in an interview with ABC News’ George Stephanopoulos, Tucker was convinced that Gershkovich would eventually be released — a beacon of needed hope in his case.
“Evan will be released, but it’s complicated to get there,” she said. “There are a lot of different people and governments involved. So I think, you know, we just have to be patient, and optimistic.”
How can you help?
Our friends at the Journal are marking the first anniversary of Gershkovich’s detention by hosting a read-a-thon.
Three billboards in Times Square began calling for his release on March 28.
You can also follow Evan’s reporting and updates on his situation by visiting WSJ.com/Evan.
We encourage our readers to share their hopes for his release — and ask that you tell his story. #StandWithEvan
And as was the case when Gershkovich was detained last year, we appeal to all of you to consider his absence from family events and holidays. In the days and weeks ahead, our newsroom will pause to mark Easter, Passover and Ramadan. Leave an empty chair for Evan at your seder or Easter table or as you break your fast.
And finally, I’ll make another direct appeal to President Joe Biden and his administration: Mr. President, bring Evan home.
Ed Forbes is senior director for news and engagement for NorthJersey.com and The Record and regional opinions and engagement editor for the USA TODAY Network Northeast.