(AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) is hosting the parents of imprisoned reporter Evan Gershkovich at Thursday’s State of the Union address, the Wall Street Journal revealed.
Gershkovich is a reporter for the Wall Street Journal who was detained in March in Russia and accused of espionage. The U.S. government has dismissed these charges and called for the 32-year-old journalist’s release. Tucker Carlson recently brought up the charges to Russian Vladimir Putin in a controversial interview and called it ridiculous to refer to Gershkovich as some kind of spy. Putin mentioned that a deal was being discussed, but he gave no hint of a timeline and refused to release the journalist when asked.
Ella Milman and Mikhail Gershkovich will be joining Johnson for President Joe Biden’s address and the pair will also be meeting with other guests. The one year anniversary of their son’s arrest is coming up. He was detained on March 29.
A statement released by the parents reads:
We are grateful to Speaker Johnson for inviting
us to attend the State of the Union and for providing the opportunity to highlight Evan’s wrongful detention. We’re also grateful to President Biden for his continued work on Evan’s behalf. Evan is an American, and he was doing his job as a journalist. He is most importantly a beloved son and brother, and we want him home.
In his own statement, Johnson also called Gershkovich’s detention “unjust” and said the administration needs to secure his release.
“The United States must always stand for freedom of the press around the world, especially in places like Russia, where it is under assault. The Administration must bring Evan home,” he said.