Many journalists have been detained in foreign prison for doing their job. It’s happened to American journalist Alsu Kurmasheva, who was detained in Russia for failure to register as a foreign agent. It’s happened to Danny Fenster, who was detained in Myanmar for incitement and violence of immigration and unlawful associations laws, and it’s also happened to American Journalist and Reporter Evan Gershkovich. According to an updated page that’s published by The Wall Street Journal,
Evan Gershkovich is a journalist and reporter for The Wall Street Journal. When he was detained, it was on March 29, 2023, while doing his journalism duties. Evan was arrested by Russia’s Federal Security Service in the city Yekaterinburg while he was doing a reporting assignment.
The Wall Street Journal also stated, how Evan made history by saying, “He was accused of espionage, making him the first American detained on such a charge since the Cold War. Evan, his family, the Journal and the U.S. government vehemently deny these allegations.” Evan is currently being detained in Russia’s infamous Lefortovo prison and has been there since March of 2023. Having been separated from the world, he spends 90% of the day locked in a small cell.
The US State Department declared Gershkovich is being wrongfully detained, and President Joe Biden has promised the Gershkovich family that he’ll bring Evan home. On November 28, 2023, a Russian court extended the pretrial detention for another two months, and it’s also unclear when Gershkovich will face trial.
“It’s now been almost or over eight months since he’s been imprisoned. And he’s missed out on so much,” Danielle Gershkovich, Evan’s sister, said in an article published by CNN’s Anchor and Chief National Security Analyst Jim Sciutto, “And we dearly miss him, but we must stay strong and just keep fighting for Evan.”
If Gershkovich is convicted, he could face twenty years in prison. When the U.S. State Department declared officially that Gershkovich has been wrongfully detained, they made a statement saying, “Journalism is not a crime. We condemn the Kremlin’s continued repression of independent voices in Russia, and its ongoing war against the truth.”
Even though the experience of Evan Gershkovich has been a difficult challenge for the family to bear, the experience also has its silver lining as well. This experience has brought the family closer by allowing Evan’s family to witness his true inner strengths, and it’s allowed them to have a greater appreciation for him as well. Ms. Gershkovich expressed how much her brother’s strength means to her, saying, “I think he’s just a special person. I don’t think anyone could do what he’s doing.”
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