Jason Rezaian, a reporter once held hostage in Iran, wrote in an op-ed that The Wall Street Journal reporter Even Gershkovich, who was arrested in Russia, was “standing tall” amid his court proceedings Monday.
Rezaian was the Washington Post’s correspondent in Tehran from 2012 to 2016, where he was arrested and detained for 544 days before being released in January 2016. He wrote in a Washington Post op-ed on Wednesday that “Gershkovich stood there with his head held high” during his court proceedings, where his appeal to be released on bail was denied.
Gershkovich is accused of attempting to collect a state secret on behalf of the United States, something that both he and U.S. officials have denied. He appeared in Russia court on Monday, where he looked to be in positive spirits as he smiled at other reporters in the room from a glass cage, even though his request for bail was denied. He faces up to 20 years in Russian prison if convicted at trial.
Rezain wrote that Gershkovich has likely gone through similar stages of being detained like he did, including first feeling that it’s all just a “mistake.” The next stage is feeling threatened by those detaining him, including threats of torture or even threats of being killed, Rezain wrote.
“But it has to have also dawned on Gershkovich that he is of no use to the Russians dead. He knows he is a hostage, so he knows he will likely get out,” Rezaian wrote. “Eventually. As the days dragged on, what began to consume me was the fear of growing old in captivity. Gershkovich is clearly not there yet. And that’s a very good thing.”
Rezaian wrote that the pressure placed on hostages like Gershkovich is a “uniquely heavy burden,” noting that Gershkovich has likely realized that he is part of a “much bigger story.” He said that Gershkovich understood that his trial is meant to scare off other journalists and to “silence critics at home.”
“Evan Gershkovich knew the world was watching. And he did what needed doing,” Rezain said.
The State Department has officially designated Gershkovich as “wrongfully detained” by Russia. U.S. officials and a group of media organizations have all demanded that Gershkovich be released and maintained that he has done nothing wrong.