Following is a statement from Emily Wilkins, president of the National Press Club, on Russia’s announcement of an indictment of wrongfully detained Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich.
“We are disappointed, but we are not surprised by this indictment. We call on everyone, including U.S. allies to do what they can right now to resolve this situation with a prisoner exchange before this sham trial takes place. The U.S. government must not let this important moment pass.
“Most global news copy from today reads ‘Evan Gershkovich to stand trial.’ If he does stand trial, he will not stand alone. When he stands in court the National Press Club and its 3,000 members will stand with him. So will his colleagues at the Wall Street Journal and thousands of other journalists around the world. We are all with him.
“The activities Evan was engaged in – reporting, interviewing, writing articles – these are the essential building blocks of journalism. Evan was fully accredited by Russia to be reporting and gathering information to keep the public informed.
“After stating that Evan was ‘caught red handed’ it has taken Russia 15 months to prepare its case. In the end all they are doing is punishing something that is not a crime. They did not need to make the false charge of espionage. We stand with Evan. He is a journalist – and a very good one. Journalism is not espionage. Journalism is not a crime.”
Founded in 1908, the National Press Club has 3,000 members representing nearly every major news organization and is a leading voice for press freedom in the U.S. and worldwide.
