WSJ Reporter Evan Gershkovich Freed From Russian Prison: A Timeline

Evan Gershovich Detained: How It Affects the WWC

Evan’s wrongful detention in Russia has many tentacles that touch the world of women and children. Explore this as an effect on the World Without Canvass—the art of journalism in knowledge dystopias.

In today’s world, where journalism is increasingly under attack, the wrongful detention of a Wall Street Journal reporter in Russia offers a potent reminder of the dangers faced by those who report the truth. After a grueling 491-day ordeal, Evan Gershovich emerged from a dark tunnel of uncertainty into the warm light of a personal victory that is also a global win for press freedom—his release being the first signal victory for press freedom in over a year.

In this piece, I will narrate the broad strokes of Gershovich’s story, after which I will dive into the murky details of press freedom with Gershovich as my lead character. I will make the case that his detention and subsequent release underscore the critical importance of press freedom, won and unwon, around the world. And that as “protecting freedom around the world” goes, as erstwhile Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice so vividly put it, half a century ago, the world becomes a better place not just in our eyes but also under the eyes of those who keep the flame of free expression, what once poetically went under the name of free speech, burning bright.

Evangelicalism and Family: Grassroots Action on Evan’s Behalf

This is not just an individual case; it moves the world of faith and family. The Wall Street Journal is calling this a “dangerous moment for press freedom.” What is this moment for faith, for family, and for the state of the press and the world of journalism?

This article could not be more timely. In a world where authoritarianism seems to be on the rise, and where free speech is under threat, Evan’s story shines like a beacon of hope. His case exemplifies what happens when a government doesn’t like what a journalist has to say. By jailing Evan, the Iranian government is sending a message—to him, of course, but more so to anyone else working in its borders who might think about getting too close to the truth. That Iran isn’t the only country to pull this sort of stunt these days should give us all pause and make us think hard about the implications for us not just as citizens but also as a society that ought to prize the First Amendment.

Evan Gershovich was detained on March 29, 2023, in Yekaterinburg by Russia’s foreign ministry. He was accused of espionage, making him the first American journalist to be detained on such charges since the Cold War. Despite Evan’s, his family’s, and the Wall Street Journal’s denials of the charges, his detention led to a long legal and diplomatic struggle to free him. President Biden and the U.S. government quickly designated Evan as “wrongfully detained.” Russian authorities made it clear that he would not be easily freed despite the international ruckus that Evan’s detention had already begun to make. They used the legal pretext of “state secrets” to deny him access to a public trial, and the Lefortovo Prison, where he would serve out a pretrial detention marked by further extensions and rejections of appeals, became a focal point of protests across the U.S. and inside the editorial offices of the Wall Street Journal, which demanded Evan’s freedom to work and live without undue influence from the Russian authorities.

The Canvass: An Artistic Rendering of Journalism in the Darkness of Knowledge Dystopia

What is left for a family if journalism is not able to protect an individual acting as an artist of storytelling? Can the absence of freedom in a dystopia be rendered in a press that can be free?

The U.S. State Department kept looking for ways to release Evan even after they had made several proposals to Russia that had been turned down. In February 2024, President Biden brought up Evan’s name when he and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz were discussing a complicated swap of prisoners between the U.S. and Russia. They were trying to negotiate the return of Paul Whelan and Evan. At the same time, they were using these two incidents as bargaining chips to talk about releasing Alexei Navalny, a key opposition figure who had been sentenced to an outrageous amount of time in a Russian jail. Sadly, Navalny died in prison, and that whole disgusting tableau rendered the discussion of the three other men who were in prison somewhat of a farce.

Evan’s release was finally negotiated in a prisoner exchange. He came home on July 30, and early reports indicated that the American side had paid a significant price.

While some may think the actions taken by the U.S. government to secure Evan’s release were excessive, or that the precedent set by negotiations with a foreign government might be dangerous, what’s clear is that Evan’s story and the story of his release speak powerfully to two things:

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