WSJ reporter marks one year in Russian jail

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Gershkovich, an American citizen, was detained in the city of Yekaterinburg, becoming the first U.S. journalist detained in Russia on espionage charges since the Cold War.

He has since been held in the notorious Lefortovo Prison in Moscow, with his pretrial extensions repeatedly extended.

The Wall Street Journal ran an empty space on Friday’s edition with the headline: “HIS STORY SHOULD BE HERE.”

The U.S. considers Gershkovich wrongfully detained and has pushed to free him in a prisoner swap, along with former Marine Paul Whelan, who has been held since 2018.

President Biden said Friday that the U.S. will “never give up hope.”

“To Evan, to Paul, and all Americans held hostage or wrongfully detained abroad: We will never stop working to bring you home,” Biden said in a statement.

Bipartisan congressional leaders also slammed Russia for the “baseless arrest, fabricated charges, and unjust imprisonment” of Gershkovich.

The Kremlin this week signaled that Russia would remain quiet on a potential prisoner swap, saying any discussions would be held in private.

Almar Latour, the publisher of the Wall Street Journal, and Emma Tucker, the newspaper’s editor-in-chief, wrote in an internal memo to staff this week that it was vital to keep up the pressure on releasing Gershkovich.

“The attention and interest around one year is heartening, and we all must be sure to keep Evan front and center for as long as he is wrongfully detained,” they wrote.

Read the full report at TheHill.com.

This post was originally published on The Hill

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