A bipartisan group of senators is calling for the immediate release of Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, who was detained by Russian authorities this spring and is being held in a notorious Moscow prison.
Sen. Ben Cardin (D-Md.), chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and Sen. Jim Risch (R-Idaho), its ranking member, introduced a resolution this week along with 25 additional senators calling on Russia to free the detained reporter and for the U.S. to press for his immediate release.
The resolution also condemns Russia for unlawfully arresting U.S. citizens and calls for Moscow to provide unhindered access to Gershkovich and to release other wrongfully detained citizens, including former Marine Paul Whelan.
In a statement, Cardin said Gershkovich was arrested for “merely for doing his job: reporting facts and shedding light on [Russian President Vladimir] Putin’s bogus rationale for his illegal war against Ukraine.”
“I am proud to stand up for Evan and others wrongfully detained, including Paul Whelan, while also strengthening our ability to prevent others from facing a similar fate,” the senator said, vowing to “continue to sound the alarm about this grave injustice and do everything in my power to safely bring them home to their families.”
Gerskovich was arrested in March on espionage charges and is being held in Lefortovo prison, a facility known for its harsh conditions.
Moscow has denied all appeals from the reporter seeking his release, and he will be held until at least Nov. 30, though it’s unlikely Russia will let him go until it reaches a deal with U.S. officials.
The White House confirmed over the summer that negotiations involving a prisoner swap for the detained journalist were ongoing but the efforts have yielded little public progress so far. Russian Foreign Ministry officials have said a swap may only be possible after a verdict is reached in his trial.
Gershkovich is the first American reporter detained in Russia since the Cold War. His arrest, which comes after he reported extensively on Russian affairs during the war in Ukraine, drew immediate backlash from Western allies and press freedom groups.
Risch said in a statement announcing the Senate resolution that, “Freedom of the press is critical to holding governments accountable around the world.”
“Unfortunately, Evan Gershkovich was jailed for simply doing his job — reporting on Russia’s brutal and unprovoked war against Ukraine,” he said.
Updated at 10:55 a.m.