On Wednesday (27 March) scores of people will take part in a run which is designed to highlight the issue worldwide. The \u201cSupport for Press Freedom!\u201d run in Brussels, in particular, seeks to promote the case of a journalist who is currently detained in Russia.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Wednesday, March 27, marks one year since Even Gershkovich\u00a0was what his supporters insist was his \u201cwrongful imprisonment for doing his job\u201d as a reporter with The Wall Street Journal. A campaign spokesman, \u201cThats 52 weeks deprived of his freedom.\u201d The spokesman added, \u201cEvan has been in Russia\u2019s notorious Lefortovo prison since March 2023, largely cut off from the world. He spends 90% of his day in a small cell. The State Department has declared Evan wrongfully detained and President Biden has promised his family he would bring Evan home. A Russian court on Jan. 26 extended his pre-trial detention for another two months. It is unclear when he will face trial.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
To show support for\u00a0Evan, people are asked to join the WSJ for a 5km\u00a0run\u00a0(or walk) to maintain awareness of what they call \u201cthis great injustice.\u201d They will gather on Wednesday at 9:30 am under the arches of Brussels\u2019 Parc Cinquantenaire and aim for two laps around the park. If their schedule is tight, people are asked to join for a group photo at the start. Gershkovich is a Wall Street Journal reporter who was detained in Russia one year ago, on March 29, while on a reporting assignment. He is the American-born son of Soviet-era emigres to the U.S. Evan learned Russian from his parents and built a career as a journalist focused on the region. He joined the Journal in January 2022 and before that reported from Moscow for Agence France Press and the Moscow Times.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Dan Michaels, WSJ Brussels Bureau Chief, said, \u201cHe’s a gifted journalist who has reported extensively on Russia, illuminating developments on the ground at a crucial time. \u201cThe Journal is doing everything it can to bring Evan home. Evan’s friends and colleagues appreciate your support in keeping his profile high and standing with us for a free press and freedom of expression\u201d. \u201cEvan was detained by Russia\u2019s Federal Security Service in the city of Yekaterinburg\u00a0while on a reporting assignment in the country. He had full press credentials from Russia`s foreign ministry. He was accused of espionage, making him the first American detained on such a charge since the Cold War.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n