‘Defend Press Freedom’: Archbishop Of Canterbury Spotlights Jailed Journalist Evan Gershkovich In Easter Message

Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich is escorted from a court hearing in Moscow, Russia, on Friday, Jan. 26, 2024. (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko, File)

The Church of England’s Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby spotlighted the case of Wall Street Journal journalist Evan Gershkovich imprisoned in Russia, in a specific call for the global Christian community to remember him over Easter and defend “press freedom around the world.”

Welby’s call comes on the first year anniversary of Gershkovich’s imprisonment on unsubstantiated espionage charges since his arrest by Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) in Yekaterinburg.

Gershkovich is the first US journalist detained on espionage accusations post-Cold War in a pre-trial detention that has been extended multiple times, most recently for another 3-month period that ends on June 30. The maximum possible punishment is 20 years in prison.

Welby wrote on X: “Good Friday will mark a year of missed milestones for Evan – his 32nd birthday, weddings, holidays and the chance to do the work he loves. We pray for Evan, his family and his colleagues.”

He added: “Journalists around the world should be protected, free to hold people and power to account without fear of reprisal. We pray for those hundreds of journalists currently in prison for carrying out this vital work.”

Meanwhile, the United States government is pushing for Gershkovich’s release, with hints of a possible prisoner swap as a means of securing his freedom. Although Russia’s foreign ministry said that a swap would only be considered after trial.

US ambassador to Russia Lynne Tracy, however, has been absolute in her refutation of the charges. She said: “The insinuation that he was somehow engaging in some kind of criminal activity is just flat-out false. The message is: release him now.”