Grim milestone approaches for Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich
The American reporter has been held by Russia on dubious espionage charges for nearly a year.
Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich has been detained by Russia on dubious espionage allegations for nearly a full year as the paper gears up to raise awareness ahead of the unfortunate anniversary.
"We want to make it the last milestone that he serves behind bars," longtime Wall Street Journal editor Paul Beckett, who pivoted from overseeing the Washington bureau to focusing solely on securing the release of Gershkovich, told Fox News Digital.
"It will be one year on March 29, and what we've seen in the year up to now is no evidence, no trial date set. We've just had a series of pretrial detentions that have rolled over… it's very difficult for us to see where it goes from here, because the Russian legal system is so opaque," Beckett said.
"It is our job to keep awareness of Evan and his plight as high as we possibly can. You know, hopefully this will be solved soon and will be solved through government-to-government negotiations," he continued. "But we're convinced that if he is forgotten, or we don't keep him in the spotlight, then that would just make it all the harder."
DETAINED WSJ REPORTER EVAN GERSHKOVICH'S COLLEAGUES SPEAK OUT ON HIS PASSION FOR JOURNALISM, RUSSIA
Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich stands in a glass cage in a courtroom at the Moscow City Court, in Moscow, Russia, on Thursday, Dec. 14, 2023. (AP Photo/Dmitry Serebryakov)
The 32-year-old Gershkovich, an American-born son of Soviet immigrants who was 31 when he was arrested, has been on the cover of TIME magazine and name-dropped by President Biden during the recent State of the Union address with his parents in attendance. The Wall Street Journal has arranged numerous events in an effort to raise awareness of his situation.
"We are trying to raise even more visibility to his plight. So, we will have a big social media push with the hashtag #IStandWithEvan and we'd be grateful if anybody that felt so inclined would jump in and amplify that," Beckett said.
The WSJ is also hosting a 24-hour read-a-thon for Gershkovich starting at noon ET on Wednesday in which colleagues, friends and loved ones will gather in New York City and London to read his work. All of the efforts are done "to help people understand who Evan is and what a dreadful thing has befallen him," Beckett explained.
The Wall Street Journal and the U.S. government vehemently deny the allegations against Gershkovich and have called for his immediate release. On Tuesday, a Russian court extended the detention and Gershkovich will remain in custody until at least June 30.
Despite the nightmare scenario Gershkovich has suffered through, the beloved reporter has managed to remain positive throughout the harrowing ordeal.
"We have lawyers in Russia who see Evan once a week, and the reports that we get from them and from letters that he sends, and from Ambassador Lynne Tracy, the U.S. ambassador in Moscow, paint a picture of a remarkable young man who is holding up well under the toughest of circumstances," Beckett said.
WALL STREET JOURNAL REPORTER EVAN GERSHKOVICH TURNS 32 WHILE WRONGFULLY DETAINED BY RUSSIA
Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich has been detained by Russia on dubious espionage allegations for nearly a full year. (NATALIA KOLESNIKOVA/AFP via Getty Images)
Ambassador Tracy attended the court hearing and reiterated that "the accusations against Evan are categorically untrue."
Gershkovich has been held in Moscow’s Lefortovo Prison which Beckett said is "notorious for disorienting and isolating its inmates."
"He spends 23 hours a day in his cell. The hour that he's not in his cell, he gets to walk around a tiny courtyard about the same size as his cell. So, obviously, the conditions are very difficult, but he works very hard to maintain his equilibrium, and we're incredibly grateful that," Beckett said.
In December, the State Department said that Russia rejected a proposal that would have freed both Gershkovich and former Marine Paul Whelan. While a deal wasn’t reached, Beckett feels confident that the rejected deal means both sides are working toward an eventual agreement.
"That was a sign that conversations were happening then, and we’re hopeful that those conversations have continued," he said.
The U.S. government has declared both Whelan, who was arrested in December 2018 on charges of espionage and spying for the U.S. government and sentenced to 16 years, and Gershkovich to be wrongfully detained. The State Department has declined to provide details of the proposal to bring them home.
Beckett is encouraged that the effort to bring Gershkovich home has remained bipartisan, with support from Democrats and Republicans in the House.
"We're extremely grateful for all the support," he said. "The Biden administration has been responsive to our requests, and we do believe that they are taking it seriously. Obviously, Evan is not home, and we would like to continue to see as much as possible being done to bring him home and back to the newsroom as soon as we can."
Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich stands in a glass cage in a courtroom at the Moscow City Court, in Moscow, Russia, on Thursday, Dec. 14, 2023. (AP Photo/Dmitry Serebryakov)
Gershkovich’ parents, Mikhail Gershkovich and Ella Milman, recently echoed those sentiments during an interview with ABC News.
"We know that the U.S. Government is taking this case very seriously, so we are optimistic," Milman said. "If you let the pessimism in, the game is over. The saying in our family is -- ‘we are moving forward.’"
The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Anyone interested in learning more about Gershkovich can visit WSJ.com/evan and FreeGershkovich.com. FOX Nation will debut a new special "Prisoner of Putin" on March 28 that details Gershkovich’s arrest and detainment in Russia.
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Fox News Digital’s Sarah Rumpf-Whitten and David Rutz contributed to this report.