AP Photo/Dmitry Serebryakov, File
Friday, March 29, marks one year since Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich was mistakenly arrested in Russia and accused of spying. To commemorate the sad anniversary, the newspaper left most of its front page blank, stating “His story should be here.”
Here’s the image of the front page of Friday’s WSJ:
Wall Street Journal
President Joe Biden released a statement on the “painful” anniversary:
Today we mark a painful anniversary: one year of American journalist Evan Gershkovich’s wrongful detention in Russia.
Journalism is not a crime, and Evan went to Russia to do his job as a reporter —risking his safety to shine the light of truth on Russia’s brutal aggression against Ukraine. Shortly after his wholly unjust and illegal detention, he drafted a letter to his family from prison, writing: “I am not losing hope.”
As I have told Evan’s parents, I will never give up hope either. We will continue working every day to secure his release. We will continue to denounce and impose costs for Russia’s appalling attempts to use Americans as bargaining chips. And we will continue to stand strong against all those who seek to attack the press or target journalists—the pillars of free society.
To Evan, to Paul Whelan, and to all Americans held hostage or wrongfully detained abroad: We are with you. And we will never stop working to bring you home.
Several prominent media figures and journalists have spread awareness of Gershkovich’s plight to keep his name in the news. Fox News, also a News Corps property along with WSJ, regularly runs a commercial that states “We stand with Evan,” and a large portrait with the message hangs in their studio. On Thursday, WSJ held a 24-hour read-a-thon featuring some of those journalists reading Gershkovich’s reporting. The overarching message was a reminder that Gershkovich was in prison for merely doing his job.
Gershkovich’s pre-trial detention was extended to June 30 on Tuesday.
Read more about Gershkovich’s detention and his work at the Wall Street Journal.
