The U.S. ambassador to the United Nations has lambasted Russia over its continued detention of Evan Gershkovich, the Wall Street Journal reporter held since last year on fictitious espionage charges, reports Alistair Dawber of The Times of London.
Dawber reports, “Thomas-Greenfield said Gershkovich was ‘wrongfully detained simply for telling the truth,’ adding: ‘That was Evan’s crime — reporting the facts about Russia’s illegal war in Ukraine. His final article, published the day before his arrest, highlighted the war’s negative impact on the Russian economy. Locking Evan up was meant to be a sign of toughness and strength, and of control.
“‘The truth is that this pernicious targeting by the Kremlin and by strongmen across the world only reveals their weakness and their fear. They know that history is not kind to those who squash dissent by force.’
“Gershkovich was one of 320 reporters detained around the world as they did their job last year, according to the Committee for the Protection of Journalists. The number was the second highest since the committee began collecting data in 1992. The total was beaten only by the number of those detained in 2022, when 367 reporters were detained.”
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