“A year of stolen stories”: American journalist Evan Gershkovich has been detained for a year in Russia
“
We will continue to fight
,” promised Friday the family of American journalist Evan Gershkovich, imprisoned for a year in Russia for espionage. President Joe Biden says he is “
working tirelessly
” to obtain his release.
American journalist Evan Gershkovich was arrested at the end of March 2024 for “espionage”. © EVGENIA NOVOZHENINA - Reuters
By: RFI with AFP
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“
We never envisioned such a situation happening to our son and brother, much less spending an entire year in uncertainty
,” his family said in a letter to readers of the
Wall Street Journal
, his employer. “
But despite this long battle, we remain strong.
» Evan Gershkovich, 32,
was arrested a year ago
by the FSB during a report in Yekaterinburg, in the Urals.
He is the first foreign journalist arrested in
Russia
for “
espionage
” since the fall of the Soviet Union. Charges punishable by 20 years in prison that he rejects, as do the
United States
, his newspaper and those close to him. Russia never publicly provided any evidence and the entire procedure was classified secret.
In their letter, his parents Mikhail and Ella as well as his sister Danielle described an “
unimaginable
” year. “
We felt like we were holding our breath
,” the family described. “
We saw Evan face this uncertainty, stuck in this small cell, with little news from the world, without his freedom
,” his family lamented.
In support,
the Wall Street Journal
published a large empty rectangle on its front page on Friday, with the headline: “
His article should be here.”
» “
A year in a Russian prison. A year of stolen stories, stolen joys, stolen memories. The crime
: journalism
,” denounced the newspaper.
Joe Biden says he is “
working tirelessly
” for his release
On the occasion of the “
painful anniversary
” of his arrest, Joe Biden assured Friday of “
working tirelessly
” for his release, once again condemning an
“
unjustified detention
”. “
Journalism is not a crime and Evan traveled to Russia to do his job as a reporter, risking his safety to report the truth about Russia's brutal aggression against Ukraine
,” said the American president in a press release.
Evan Gershkovich's arrest sparked shock among Western correspondents still working in Russia under increasingly tense conditions.
For his part, British Foreign Minister David Cameron castigated
Russia's “
contempt ”
for “media freedom
”.
Russian President Vladimir Putin said he was willing to exchange the journalist for Vadim Krasikov, imprisoned for life in Germany for the murder of a Chechen opponent in Berlin in 2019.
But efforts to free him could have taken a more complicated turn since the death in prison of Russian opponent Alexeï Navalny who, according to his entourage, was also part of a prisoner exchange project currently being negotiated.
Also read: In the news: an American journalist imprisoned in Russia for a year
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