NEW YORK (dpa-AFX) – On the anniversary of the arrest of US journalist Evan Gershkovich in Russia, the Wall Street Journal newspaper remembered its reporter and called for his immediate release. Gershkovich has been robbed of a normal existence for twelve months – a year full of missed weddings, reporter trips and trips with friends, it said on Friday on the “WSJ” homepage. The newspaper also reported extensively on his imprisonment and threats to press freedom worldwide. In the print edition, a page designed to look like a commentary by Gershkovich remained largely empty except for the headline: “This story cannot be written.”
The Russia correspondent, who was arrested on a reporting trip in Yekaterinburg on March 29, 2023, had full press accreditation from the Russian Foreign Ministry and was arrested while doing his job, the paper wrote. Russia accuses the 32-year-old of spying for the USA. Gershkovich and his employer deny the allegations. The US government also believes that Gershkovich is being held unjustly.