The Ruling of a Wall Street Journal Journal Reporter Evan Gershkovich: A vicious affront to a free press
Wall Street Journal editor-in-chief Emma Tucker said over the weekend that she hoped the US would swiftly label Gershkovich as wrongfully detained, saying that it would be an official recognition that the charges against the reporter are “entirely bogus.”
The designation, which is expected in the coming days, follows an ongoing internal review of the circumstances surrounding Gershkovich’s arrest, officials said. The US will try to get Gershkovich home thanks to the office of hostage affairs at the State Department.
Last week, State Department principal deputy spokesperson Vedant Patel said he did not want to get ahead of the process, but said he did not believe there was any truth to the accusations against Gershkovich. John Kirby is the spokesman for the US National Security Council.
Prisoner swaps have led to the release pf the last two Americans who were wrongfully detained in Russia. But as US officials begin to consider ways to secure Gershkovich’s release, some are concerned about a prisoner swap in this case incentivizing the detainment of American journalists, one US official said.
Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich was able to meet with his lawyers, the paper said in a statement Tuesday, adding that the journalist who has been detained in Russia since last week was in good health.
His imprisonment is unwarranted and an attack on a free press. We are doing everything in our power to bring Evan home safely and will not rest until he is reunited with his family,” the statement from Editor-in-Chief Emma Tucker and Publisher Almar Latour said.
The statement says that Evan was asking questions and giving an account in the region to keep the world well informed.
The arrest of Gershkovich was described by the Journal as a vicious affront to a free press which should spur outrage around the world.