American journalist Evan Gershkovich, who worked for the Wall Street Journal, was detained in Russia after being accused of spying. He was arrested and was ordered to remain in detention until 29 May 2023.
Who was Evan Gershkovich?
Evan Gershkovich, 31, is an American journalist working for the Wall Street Journal. He was recently arrested in Russia due to accusations of spying on Russia.
He was born and brought up in New Jersey, America but was based in the U.K. for his work. He had to travel to Russia for 2 to 3 weeks for his assignment before returning to London.
He had accreditation from the Russian foreign ministry to work as a journalist. Still, the ministry spokeswoman claimed that the credentials were only used as a cover-up for activities unrelated to journalism.
Image Source – Salt Wire
Why was Evan Gershkovich arrested?
According to the Kremlin, Evan Gershkovich has been arrested for being caught ‘red-handed’ by the Russian Federal Security Service. However, the White House has denied the allegations and has spoken up against the detention in the strongest terms.
The feature in the Wall Street Journal said that the reporter had lost contact with all his editors while working in Yekaterinburg, Russia, on a Wednesday afternoon. U.S. officials say that his driver had dropped him off at a restaurant, and 2 hours later, his phone was turned off.
They had hired a lawyer to find any information of his whereabouts, but he was nowhere to be found. Russia’s Federal Security Service claimed that the reporter Evan Gershkovich had been detained since he was ‘acting on U.S. instructions.’ They also accused him of collecting information classified as State secret relating to the activities of the Russian defense enterprise.
Many Journalists express their shock over his arrest.
Managed journalists who knew Evan Gershkovich Twitter to express their shock over the news, stating that he was a well-respected man in the field.
His colleague, and a correspondent with the Financial Times, Polina Ivanova, claimed that he was a very professional journalist and was doing his job. Therefore, he must be released immediately.
Joshua Yaffa, a reporter for The New Yorker, said that he was a great reporter and that the allegations against him were false. He also praised him for reporting on Russia during its invasion of Ukraine.
Many other reporters, his colleagues, and friends also spoke on his behalf, saying that he was very professional and was doing his job in Russia and, therefore, he should be released immediately.
