At a press conference in Brussels on Wednesday, Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said “there is no doubt that Russia is wrongfully detaining Evan Hershkovich.”
“That’s what I said to Foreign Minister (RF) Lavrov when I spoke to him over the weekend and insisted on Evan’s immediate release,” the head of the department explained. ‘State.
According to him, the State Department is currently working on the wording of the illegal detention of a journalist from the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) in order to assign him the status of “wrongfully detained”. At the same time, Blinken noted that “there is a formal process, and it can be expected to be completed in the near future.”
The status of “wrongfully detained” would shift responsibility for the Gershkowitz case from the State Department’s Bureau of Consular Affairs to the office of the Special Envoy for Hostage Affairs. This will raise the political profile of the issue and allow the US government to allocate more resources to ensure Gershkovich’s safety.
This status also means that the US government will not wait for Gershkovich’s case to go through the Russian court system, but will seek to negotiate his release.
“From my perspective, from the perspective of the State Department, there is no higher priority than the safety of American citizens around the world, including those who may be unlawfully detained, held hostage or unable to return home and be with their families,†Blinken noted.
On March 30, Gershkovich was arrested by the FSB and charged with collecting secret state information about a Russian defense company. Russia has released no evidence to support those charges, which face Gershkovich up to 20 years in prison.
The journalist himself categorically denies the espionage charges against him. The Wall Street Journal editors said the charges against the reporter were fabricated and called for Gershkovich’s immediate release.
The White House called the charges against the journalist “ridiculous” and President Joe Biden called on Moscow to release the WSJ employee. Last Sunday, Anthony Blinken, during a telephone conversation with Sergei Lavrov, expressed concern about the “unacceptable detention of a journalist”.
Gershkovich is being held in Lefortovo prison in Moscow.
Responding to a question about Gershkovich’s status, Blinken also spoke about the situation around another US citizen, Paul Whelan, who is in a Russian prison. According to Blinken, the United States made an offer to Russia on Whelan that “has been on the table for several months now.”
“I again reminded Foreign Minister Lavrov that Russia must move forward on this proposal so that we can bring Paul home,†Blinken said.
He also said the United States “could increase pressure and increase action against those who engage in the practice of unlawful and arbitrary detention of American citizens.”
A law passed by Congress in 2020 lists 11 criteria that determine whether a US citizen is “wrongfully detained”. Among these criteria is a clause that, in such cases, they are persons persecuted primarily because they are American citizens and their detention is intended to influence the policy of the American government.
Another factor is whether the person is being held in “inhumane conditions” and also whether they have been detained in a country related to the situation in which the United States Embassy has reliable evidence that the detention does not is just a pretext.
The Biden administration has secured the release of at least 25 “wrongfully detained” Americans. 30 other US citizens with the status of “wrongfully detained” are still in prison around the world.
