He’s returning home.
After spending nearly 500 days in detention on questionable espionage charges in Russia, Wall Street Journal journalist Evan Gershkovich is set to be released as part of a significant exchange of political prisoners and journalists between the United States and Germany, according to Fox News.
U.S. veteran Paul Whelan is also being released following years in Russian confinement, as per Fox News confirmation.
Gershkovich, 32, was apprehended on March 30, 2023, while covering a story in Yekaterinburg, a city in the Ural Mountains, and was accused of spying. The Biden administration described him as “wrongfully detained,” with both The Wall Street Journal and the U.S. government vigorously rejecting the charges, deeming them inherently absurd.
COWORKERS OF DETAINED WSJ REPORTER EVAN GERSHKOVICH SHARE HIS DEDICATION TO JOURNALISM IN RUSSIA
Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich appears in a glass enclosure during a court session in Yekaterinburg, Russia, on June 26, 2024. (AP)
Following repeated extensions of the veteran reporter’s detention, he was found guilty in a secret trial for “collecting confidential information” and sentenced to 16 years in a high-security penal institution on July 19. This verdict was anticipated, with experts and officials noting that a prisoner exchange was his only option for liberation post-trial.
Dow Jones CEO Almar Latour and Wall Street Journal Editor-in-Chief Emma Tucker condemned the “sham conviction” in a joint statement.
“This disgraceful and unjust conviction occurred after Evan has spent 478 days wrongfully imprisoned, away from his loved ones, unable to report, all for simply doing his job as a journalist,” stated Latour and Tucker.
“We will persist in our efforts to advocate for Evan’s release and support his family,” they affirmed. “Journalism is not a crime, and we will not rest until he is free. This must end now.”
WSJ REPORTER EVAN GERSHKOVICH’S FAMILY AND EMPLOYER REACT AS ‘SHAM’ SECRET TRIAL COMMENCES IN RUSSIA
Wall Street Journal executives have denounced the “sham conviction” of Evan Gershkovich as disgraceful. (NATALIA KOLESNIKOVA/AFP via Getty Images)
Before his sentencing, Gershkovich endured months at the infamous Lefortovo prison in Moscow. A Russian journalist who experienced interrogations there described it as a psychologically torturous facility designed to instill feelings of isolation and abandonment in prisoners.
Gershkovich was the first recognized Western journalist to be detained on espionage allegations in post-Soviet Russia. The American-born son of Soviet immigrants, he has always held a fascination for his parents’ homeland.
Having worked at The New York Times, Moscow Times, and Agence France-Presse before joining The Wall Street Journal in 2022, Gershkovich earned a reputation as a skilled journalist and formed friendships globally. Colleagues aided in keeping his dire situation in public discourse; #FreeEvan became a recurring hashtag on X and other social media platforms, as The Wall Street Journal allocated significant resources and coverage to his case.
EVAN GERSHKOVICH OBSERVES ONE YEAR IN RUSSIAN DETENTION AS FRIENDS AWAIT AN END TO THE ‘NIGHTMARE’
Evan Gershkovich is seen in a defendants’ cage following a hearing regarding an appeal, having been held by Russia for 70 weeks. (Natalia KOLESNIKOVA / AFP)
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The last instance of Russia exchanging prisoners with the U.S. occurred in December 2022, when basketball player Brittney Griner was released in exchange for arms dealer Viktor Bout. Griner was sentenced to nine years in a Russian prison for cannabis smuggling and possession. Similar to Gershkovich’s situation, Griner’s severe sentence was perceived as Russia using an American as leverage against the U.S.
The repercussions and dampening effect on journalism stemming from Gershkovich’s arrest and detainment have been extensive. As Western outlets remain cautious of Vladimir Putin’s authoritarian rule in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Gershkovich’s circumstances highlighted that no journalist was immune to being seized — or worse.
On Wednesday, Wall Street Journal Chief Digital Editor Grainne McCarthy circulated a memo to staff recognizing Gershkovich’s “70 long weeks” of detainment and expressing gratitude to colleagues for ensuring Evan’s name remained prominent.
This is an evolving story and will be updated as more information becomes available.
