Friday marks the ugly anniversary of Russia’s arrest and continuing imprisonment of our reporter Evan Gershkovich. On Tuesday he was ordered held for another three months at the request of Russia’s Security Service, though he hasn’t been formally charged or put on trial.
The Kremlin claims he is suspected of spying, but his real offense is honest reporting. If he does go to trial, any charges and evidence will be wholly invented.
By the accounts of those who have seen Evan, he has held up remarkably well in notorious Lefortovo prison. That’s a tribute to his character and upbringing. His parents have been relentless advocates and kept his case in front of the public and U.S. officials. The 32-year-old is a brave and sturdy man coping as well as anyone can with unjust confinement and the uncertainty of when it will end.
The Journal has also not let up in its campaign to free Evan. A publication like ours asks reporters, especially the young and intrepid, to shine a light on often dangerous places for the benefit of our readers. Reporters know risk is part of the job, but we do as much as possible to reduce that risk.
Yet there is no protection against a willful regime intent on taking an American hostage. Evan is the first American journalist taken by the Kremlin since the end of the Cold War, and he was accredited to report in the country by the Russian Foreign Ministry. His last dispatch before his arrest described how the Russian economy isn’t as healthy as advertised and made news worldwide.
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Author: Ruth King
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