by Sharon Rondeau
(May 23, 2024) — In a post on TruthSocial in the early hours of Thursday, 45th President and 2024 Republican presumptive presidential nominee Donald J. Trump pledged that a Wall Street Journal reporter held by the Russian government on an espionage charge since March of last year will be released following the November 5, 2024 presidential election assuming Trump wins.
“Evan Gershkovich, the Reporter from The Wall Street Journal, who is being held by Russia, will be released almost immediately after the Election, but definitely before I assume Office,” Trump wrote. “He will be HOME, SAFE, AND WITH HIS FAMILY. Vladimir Putin, President of Russia, will do that for me, but not for anyone else, and WE WILL BE PAYING NOTHING!”
The Russian News Agency TASS quoted a Kremlin spokesman reacting to Trump’s claim with a denial. “Russian President Vladimir Putin is not in contact with former US President Donald Trump,” media spokesman Dmitry Peskov told the outlet. “…As for communication on the issue of persons in custody, convicts, we can state once again what we have repeatedly said, that these talks must be carried out in complete silence and in an absolutely covert manner. This is the only way to make them effective.”
March 29 marked the one-year anniversary of Gershkovich’s seizure and imprisonment by the Russian security force known as the FSB, whose director, according to Wikipedia, reports directly to Putin.
On July 4, NPR reported that according to Peskov, “certain contacts” had been made to discuss a possible prisoner exchange but that any ongoing talks would not be publicized.
Since his arrest, Gershkovich has been photographed in a “glass cage” during court proceedings which have resulted in his continued incarceration, thus far without trial.
Both the Journal and Gershkovich have denied the charge. A Journal page dedicated to the reporter’s work and current plight states that Joe Biden “has promised his family he would bring Evan home.”
Evan is a Wall Street Journal reporter who was detained in Russia on March 29, 2023, while doing his job as a journalist. He is the American-born son of Soviet-era emigres to the U.S. Evan learned Russian from his parents and built a career as a journalist focused on the region. He joined the Journal in January 2022 and before that reported from Moscow for Agence France Press and the Moscow Times. Evan is a gifted journalist who has reported extensively on Russia, illuminating developments on the ground at a crucial time.
Why was he arrested?
Evan was detained by Russia’s Federal Security Service in the city of Yekaterinburg while on a reporting assignment in the country. He had full press credentials from Russia’s foreign ministry. He was accused of espionage, making him the first American detained on such an allegation since the Cold War. Evan, his family, the Journal and the U.S. government vehemently deny these allegations. We continue to demand Evan’s immediate release.
Where is Evan being held?
Evan has been in Russia’s notorious Lefortovo prison since March 2023, largely cut off from the world. He spends 90% of his day in a small cell. The State Department has declared Evan wrongfully detained and President Biden has promised his family he would bring Evan home. A Russian court on March 26 extended his pre-trial detention until June 30. It is unclear when he will face trial.
What can you do?
We are doing everything in our power to get him back. The Journal and Evan’s family have been working nonstop to keep his profile high and to work for his immediate release. We appreciate your support and the support of all those who stand with a free press and with freedom of expression.
On the anniversary of Gershkovich’s arrest, The Journal‘s Editor-in-Chief wrote, in part:
The world has changed dramatically in the past year. During that time, the world for our colleague Evan Gershkovich has been the inside of a tiny cell in a notorious Moscow prison, where he sits awaiting trial on a false charge.
It is well past time for this talented reporter and innocent man to come home.
Evan was seized by Russia’s security services March 29, 2023, while reporting for The Wall Street Journal in Yekaterinburg, as a journalist accredited by the Russian Foreign Ministry. But in Vladimir Putin’s Russia, the pursuit of independent journalism and the gathering of trustworthy facts—the hallmarks of what we stand for at the Journal—are considered a crime. Evan stands accused of espionage, which Evan, the U.S. government and we vehemently deny.
Trump’s comment was widely reported by both domestic and overseas media outlets.