Why Evan Gershkovich’s case is so important

Danielle Gershkovich, sister of jailed Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, writes about her brother for the Philadelphia Inquirer.

Gershkovich writes, “Evan was just doing his job as a reporter. It was his dream job, and he was accredited by the Russian foreign ministry to do it. I think of him now, sitting in Lefortovo prison in Moscow, unable to do what he loves. My heart aches for him, an eternally curious, adventurous, and driven person now cut off from the world, from friends and family, missing precious time.

“For me, this will always be about my brother. But I’ve grown to understand that Evan’s arrest means much more than that. His arrest was a shock to the global community of journalists and a blow to a free press. Without reporters like him on the ground in Russia, we know even less about a country whose foreign policy directly affects America and all Americans. And it’s not only Evan’s absence that’s felt. Following his arrest, many other news organizations understandably left Russia, leaving an even larger void on the ground during an increasingly tenuous time.”

Read more here.