Imprisoned Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich could get a hearing in Russia next week
Almost a year into reporter Evan Gershkovich's imprisonment by Russian authorities, his friends, family and Wall Street Journal colleagues are redoubling their efforts to secure his release.
Panelists at a briefing Thursday at the National Press Club, calling attention to the one-year anniversary of Gershkovich's arrest on March 29, expressed optimism tempered with caution.
Jason Conti, general counsel for Dow Jones, the Journal's parent company, said Russian prosecutors have obtained several extensions of Gershkovich's hearing, saying they need more time to investigate the espionage charges against him -- which are baseless, according to Gershkovich, The Wall Street Journal and the U.S. State Department. The last extension ends March 30, which could result in a hearing next week. After that would be a trial held in secret.
"Nobody thinks that the legal route is the path to get Evan free," Conti said. "The conviction rate is 99 percent plus in Russia. ... This is going to get resolved in diplomatic channels."
He noted "an expressed willingness" by Russian President Vladimir Putin "to do a trade of some sort."
"It's quite a difficult business, this business of trading humans," Conti said.
Nobody on the panel Thursday discussed particulars, but news reports have speculated that Putin may want to swap Gershkovich for a Russian who was convicted of murder in Germany.
Meanwhile, press conferences and other public events keep the case visible. Many journalists wear "#ISTANDWITHEVAN" buttons.
The tone at the news conference was optimistic. Danielle Gershkovich, Evan's sister, expressed appreciation for the "incredible community of journalists" who have rallied to keep his cause in the public eye. She also talked about his ability to maintain his sense of humor, making jokes in their weekly exchange of letters.
Jason Rezaian, a Washington Post journalist who was imprisoned in Iran from July 22, 2014, to Jan. 16, 2016, described the deprivation of imprisonment in an autocratic country, especially being unable to access the internet or "witness the people who have stepped up for him."
Eventually, Gershkovich could be tried, said Paul Beckett, whose current title at The Wall Street Journal is "associate editor/Evan," and he worries about the challenge for journalists to report a conviction factually. A headline saying "Wall Street Journal reporter convicted of spying ... would be grossly misleading."
The Committee to Protect Journalists says that as of Dec. 1, 2023, 320 journalists are imprisoned around the world.
Panel moderator Bill McCarren of the Press Club made a point of naming two other U.S. citizens in prison in Russia: Paul Whelan, a former Marine who was convicted of espionage in 2020 and given a 16-year sentence, and Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty journalist Alsu Kurmasheva, held since Oct.19, 2023, on charges of spreading false information about tne Russian military and failing to register as a foreign agent.