One hundred forty-nine days.
That’s how long Wall Street Journal Reporter Evan Gershkovich has been detained in Russia. Gershkovich was on a reporting trip to Yekaterinburg, about 800 miles east of Moscow, when he was arrested and detained on charges of espionage.
Early in the morning on the first day of the ONA23 conference, news broke that Russian officials had extended Gershkovich’s pretrial detention period to Nov. 30, 2023. The pretrial period was originally set to expire on Aug. 30, 2023.
As part of their visit at ONA, the Wall Street Journal is encouraging attendees to learn about Gershkovich and WSJ’s efforts to bring him home.
“What we want to do as his friends and colleagues is make sure he’s on people’s lips and make sure that everyone knows the situation he’s in so we can keep pressure on the [American] government to keep pressure on the Russian government to hopefully get him out,” Phil Izzo, WSJ’s associate managing editor, said.
Since his arrest, Gershkovich’s imprisonment has been condemned by government and news officials alike. A bill supporting his freedom was passed unanimously in the U.S. House of Representatives on June 12, but no action has been taken by the Russian government to free him yet.
“Really the most important thing is that he’s in the news again,” Izzo said. “And so these are the moments where we try to make sure that we’re having coordinated campaigns to get the information out. And that’s where we appreciate anything anybody in the community does to get Evan’s name out there because we won’t rest until we get him home.”
One of the ways that ONA23 attendees can show support for Gershkovich is by sporting a #IStandWithEvan or #FreeEvan pin, which can be picked up at the registration booth or WSJ’s booth at the Midway on the fourth floor of the host hotel.
Supporters of Gershkovich can also donate to a GoFundMe to support his family or write letters of support that will be mailed to him.
“It’s really about supporting the journalist ecosystem and supporting Evan,” Shana Black, an attendee from the Associated Press wearing one of the pins, said. “Free press shouldn’t be punished.”
Attendees who visit WSJ’s Midway booth are also encouraged to take a picture holding an #IStandWithEvan info card, to be later shared on the WSJ’s social media channels.
While it’s not known when Gershkovich will return to the U.S., WSJ employees say they are hopeful that keeping his name in the news will encourage government officials to continue to negotiate for his release.
“We want to make sure that everybody knows him, from local barber shops to colleges to the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal,” Izzo said.
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