FToday marks the sordid anniversary of the day a masked Russian police officer arrested American journalist Evan Gershkovich while he was waiting for food at a Yekaterinburg steakhouse while on a reporting trip.
Mr. Gershkovic, 32, a reporter for the Wall Street Journal, has not seen a day of freedom since then. He is being held in the notorious Lefortovo prison on the outskirts of Moscow, where Soviet writer Alexander Solzhenitsyn was once held.
Half a century later, Gershkovich was on the scene based on espionage charges that were completely unsupported by evidence. Despite this apparent absence, a Moscow court held a closed hearing this week and authorized the Federal Security Service (FSB) to detain the journalist for an additional three months.
Gershković’s year in Lefortovo and the global effort to free him are a constant reminder of the dangers of being a reporter, especially in the realm of a capricious dictatorship like that of Vladimir Putin. It became a thing.
President Putin himself has made little effort to hide the fact that Gershkovych was seized to be used as a bargaining chip. In February, the Russian leader told American far-right commentator Tucker Carlson that it was “possible to reach an agreement” on a prisoner swap, leaving a major hint about who Putin would like to trade: Russia assassin and FSB colonel Vadim Krasikov.
Efforts to free Gershkovych were complicated by President Putin’s demands. Krasikov has been detained in Germany since 2019 on suspicion of assassinating Chechen rebel Zemlikhan Khangoshvili. Krasikov chased Khangoshvili as he rode his bicycle through Berlin’s Tiergarten park, shot him in the back as he lay bleeding, and then shot him twice in the head.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz discussed a possible exchange with Joe Biden. White House meeting in February And Scholz made it clear that perhaps the only way to make such a deal palatable to the Germans would be to get imprisoned Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny on board. It is reported that.
The deal emerged that could involve Navalny, Gershkovych and another American detained by Russia since 2018, Paul Whelan, a security chief at a Michigan-based auto parts manufacturer. . Whelan was captured by the Federal Security Service while in Moscow for a wedding and is being held in a Russian penal colony on suspicion of espionage, charges that his family and the U.S. State Department say are unfounded.
But a potential exchange deal fell apart within days after Mr. Navalny’s mysterious death in an Arctic prison on February 16, leading to a move to permanently take Mr. Navalny’s release off the negotiating table. Questions arose whether a charismatic rebel figure had been killed. After securing re-election as president in a highly orchestrated “election,” Putin admitted that Navalny was participating in a possible prisoner exchange.
Whatever the facts of Mr. Navalny’s death, Mr. Gershković was left in his cell in Lefortovo.
“This is a Stalin-era prison. This is the only prison under FSB jurisdiction, and it’s basically designed to isolate you and break you down mentally.” Ella Millman, journalist motherSaid.
Lefortovo holds political prisoners as well as terrorist suspects arrested after the March 22 attack on Crocus City Hall, but the prison is set up so that prisoners never meet each other.
Gershković spends his days in a 3×4 meter cell shared with other prisoners who cannot be accounted for in any way, according to Lefortovo rules. The small space is equipped with two steel frame beds, a toilet, sink, and small TV. He spends all day in that confined area, except for one hour, which he spends in a small covered courtyard.
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Piotr Sauer, a close friend of Mr. Gershkovitch and the Guardian’s Russia correspondent, said Wall Street Journal reporters are always busy and trying to manage their day-to-day affairs.
“He has a routine from the time he wakes up in the morning. He reads, he writes, he works out, he works out, so at the end of the day he feels like he’s had a fulfilling day,” Sauer said. Lefortovo’s history as a prison for political prisoners means that it at least has a well-stocked library of classics of Russian literature.
Gershkovic has closely followed the promising season so far enjoyed by his favorite sports team, Arsenal, and, more importantly, spent time with family, friends, and thousands of strangers from all over the world by mail. I keep myself energized by always staying in touch. I wrote him a letter of support.
Through a lawyer and other contacts he is allowed to see twice a week, he makes sure to deliver flowers for friends’ birthdays, and at least once a week to visit family members and close friends like Sauer. is writing a letter to.
“I still see the same Evan in his letters, full of humor and curiosity. He’s still a part of our lives and very interested in what’s going on in the world. ,” Sauer said. “He’s not physically or mentally broken, but you know, it’s been a really tough year.”
To support Evan Gershkovich, write to FreeGershkovich@gmail.com.
