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In a rare show of unity, a bipartisan group of congressional leaders has issued a joint statement condemning Russia for the detention of American journalist Evan Gershkovich, marking one year since his arrest.
Speaker Mike Johnson, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell called out the detention as wrongful, saying, “Evan Gershkovich, an American citizen and reporter for the Wall Street Journal, has now spent a year wrongfully detained by Putin’s government. We continue to condemn his baseless arrest, fabricated charges, and unjust imprisonment.”
This statement was released shortly after a Moscow court extended Gershkovich’s pretrial detention until June 30. The leaders stressed the importance of Gershkovich’s work and the impact of his detention, stating, “The Kremlin’s attempts to silence Evan and intimidate other Western reporters will not impede the pursuit of truth.”
President Joe Biden and Secretary of State Antony Blinken also highlighted the anniversary of Gershkovich’s detention. Biden said, “Today we mark a painful anniversary: one year of American journalist Evan Gershkovich’s wrongful detention in Russia. 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.” Blinken echoed the commitment to Gershkovich’s cause, noting his resilience and reaffirming, “Journalism is not a crime.”
Secretary Blinken added, “Russia should end its practice of arbitrarily detaining individuals for political leverage and should immediately release Evan and Paul,” referring also to Paul Whelan, another detained American citizen. The congressional leaders joined in this appeal, insisting, “We repeat our call for the Russian government to release Evan, Paul Whelan, and others it has wrongfully detained without further delay.”
The Wall Street Journal, where Evan worked, made a statement on its front page to mark the anniversary, leaving a large portion blank with the headline, “HIS STORY SHOULD BE HERE.”
