 has denied the accusations, calling them 'demonstrably false', and the US State Department has declared him wrongfully detained. Both have continued to demand Gershkovich's release and the WSJ said it and Dow Jones, its publisher, had assembled 'a robust team working round the clock' to secure his freedom. 'The wrongful detention of Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich is a full-throated assault on the fundamental principles of free speech and democracy,' said Owen Meredith, the chief executive of the News Media Association, a trade body. 'The work of courageous journalists like Evan is critical to ensuring that we understand as fully as possible the war in Ukraine and its horrific impact upon people's lives.' Gershkovich is the first American journalist to be detained on espionage charges in Russia since the end of the Cold War. The son of parents who emigrated from the Soviet Union to the US in 1979, he had accreditation from the Russian foreign ministry to report in Russia. On May 23, the court granted a request from the state security service, the FSB, to keep him in custody until at least August 30. Requests to have him transferred to house arrest, agree to constraints on his movements or be granted bail have all been denied . 'On this incredibly difficult 100-day milestone, we stand with Evan, his loved ones, and our colleagues across the global news media sector in calling for his immediate release,' said Meredith. 'We all have a stake in this. Journalism is not a crime, and a free press is pivotal to maintaining){kind=link}
Evan Gershkovich, a Wall Street Journal reporter, was imprisoned in Russia 100 days ago after being arrested on “suspicion of espionage” – a claim widely derided as bogus.
The US citizen, 32, has been held since March when he was arrested and accused of collecting military secrets in Yekaterinburg. Espionage trials in Russia are almost guaranteed to result in a guilty verdict, with a sentence of up to 20 years.
The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) has denied the accusations, calling them “demonstrably false”, and the US State Department has declared him wrongfully detained. Both have continued to demand Gershkovich’s release and the WSJ said it and Dow Jones, its publisher, had assembled “a robust team working round the clock” to secure his freedom.
“The wrongful detention of Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich is a full-throated assault on the fundamental principles of free speech and democracy,” said Owen Meredith, the chief executive of the News Media Association, a trade body.
“The work of courageous journalists like Evan is critical to ensuring that we understand as fully as possible the war in Ukraine and its horrific impact upon people’s lives.”