US President Joe Biden has assured that he is “working every day” for the release of the American Wall Street Journal journalist, Evan Gershkovich, who has been detained for a year in Russia on espionage charges.
“We will continue to denounce and impose costs for Russia's terrible attempts to use Americans as a bargaining chip,” Biden said. “And we will continue to vigorously resist all those who seek to attack the press or target journalists, pillars of the free society.”
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«Today we remember a painful anniversary: one year since the unjust detention in Russia of the American journalist Evan Gershkovich – says Biden. – Journalism is not a crime, and Evan went to Russia to do his job as a reporter, risking his safety to shed light on the truth about Russia's brutal aggression against Ukraine – he adds – Shortly after his full detention unjust and illegal, he drafted a letter from prison addressed to his family, writing: 'I am not losing hope.' As I told Evan's parents, I will never give up hope either.”
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Biden then also remembered Paul and all “Americans held hostage or unjustly detained abroad: we are with you. And we will never stop working to bring you home.”
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The character
Evan Gershkovich, the Wall Street Journal journalist, has been in prison for exactly a year in Russia, still awaiting trial on espionage charges that the White House deems false, but which could still sentence him to prison for decades.
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The son of Jewish émigrés from the USSR in the 1970s, he was born in the United States and covered news from Russia for six years, including a stint with the AFP. In the meantime, however, giving news independently and from the field has become increasingly dangerous as well as in many cases illegal.
He was arrested by the Russian secret services in a restaurant in Yekaterinburg, in central-western Russia, on charges of espionage, exactly 12 months ago. It was the first such accusation against a Western journalist since the Soviet era. And the move showed that the Kremlin was ready to go further in the so-called “hybrid war” with the West.
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The Wall Street Journal and the White House vehemently deny Russia's accusations, which they see as a false pretext to secure the release of Russians held in the United States. President Vladimir Putin said last month that he would like to see Gershkovich released as part of a prisoner exchange, but warned that some “terms” were under discussion. The 32-year-old faces up to 20 years in prison if found guilty.
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Possible prisoner exchange
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that Moscow has some contacts with the US regarding the prisoner exchange which should also involve the journalist, but all matters relating to the exchange must take place silently and the violation of the integrity of the process creates problems.
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«With regards to trade issues, we have repeatedly underlined that there are some contacts, but they must be carried out in absolute silence. Violation of this rigidity only creates further problems and prevents people from achieving any results in this process,” said Peskov, commenting on the possibility of a prisoner exchange involving the Wall Street Journal reporter, arrested in late March 2023.
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