March 2024 will mark one year since Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich was imprisoned in Russia. Gershkovich was arrested on charges of espionage—spying in order to obtain confidential information for a foreign power—making him the first American journalist to be detained on this charge in Russia since the Cold War.
The 32-year-old reporter, his newspaper, and the United States government deny all charges. If convicted, Gershkovich could face up to 20 years of incarceration in Russia. Moscow maintains that it is adhering to its laws, although there’s been no public evidence of their allegations.
Gershkovich has been a journalist for roughly eight years, though he only joined the WSJ in 2022. According to the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), he lived in Moscow for six years. Gershkovich covered issues such as the Russian-Ukrainian war, Russia’s economy, and foreign relations.
On Tuesday, February 20, 2024, Gershkovich’s latest appeal of wrongful detention was denied, leaving him in Russian prison until at least March 30.
Although, Gershkovich isn’t the only journalist behind bars. “Overall, the CPJ documented 320 journalists behind bars worldwide on the census date of December 1, 2023. The number was the second-highest recorded by CPJ since the census began in 1992,” shared CJP Senior Communications Associate Zoe Simbolon on behalf of the organization.
Charges brought against journalists often range from censorship violations, religious or ethnic insults, defamation, anti-state sentiments, or false news. “12 of the 17 imprisoned journalists who are foreign nationals are held by Russia, including Evan Gershkovich and Alsu Kurmasheva, both U.S. citizens held in pre-trial detention,” revealed Simbolon.
Organizations such as the CPJ and the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) work to acquire the release of these allegedly unjust detainments as well as ensure the protection of other journalists.
“We defend the right of journalists to report the news safely and without fear of reprisal,” explained Simbolon.
The United States government continues to negotiate for Gershkovich’s release. In an interview with former Fox News host Tucker Carlson, Vladimir Putin announced the possibility of the journalist’s release, although he failed to mention any specifics.
Gershkovich’s commitment to the truth is admirable and represents America’s ideals of free press, although, it came at the cost of his freedom. The US is a country with a great deal of free press, however, that is not the case for many other countries. Gershkovich and many others remind us, this must be kept in mind to ensure the safety of journalists everywhere.
