WSJ reporter Evan Gershkovich marks 1 year in Russian prison

Friday marked one year since the detention of Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reporter Evan Gershkovich in Russia, who was arrested on suspicion of espionage while on a reporting trip in the city of Yekaterinburg. Gershkovich, 32, became the first U.S. journalist arrested on spying charges in Russia since the Cold War when he was detained by the Federal Security Service (FSB) on March 29. The reporter, the Journal and the U.S. government all deny he is a spy, while a Russian court extended his pre-trial detention by three months earlier this week. On Wednesday, White House spokesperson Karine Jean-Pierre said that “Journalism is not a crime” and promised that the Biden administration will continue working to secure his release. Meanwhile, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said on Thursday that “absolute silence” was needed when it came to discussions about possible prisoner exchanges involving Gershkovich. To pay homage to Gershkovich’s one-year detention mark, the WSJ — one of America’s largest newspapers — published a blank front page on Friday, with the headline reading: “His story should be here.” For more info, please go to https://globalnews.ca/news/9916734/russia-evan-gershkovich/ Subscribe to Global News Channel HERE: http://bit.ly/20fcXDc Like Global News on Facebook HERE: http://bit.ly/255GMJQ Follow Global News on Twitter HERE: http://bit.ly/1Toz8mt Follow Global News on Instagram HERE: https://bit.ly/2QZaZIB #GlobalNews #WSJ #Russia