On Thursday, WNBA star Brittney Griner issued a statement regarding the detained Wall Street Journal reporter in Russia. AP
The Wall Street Journal writer Evan Gershkovich’s incarceration in Russia worries American basketball player Brittney Griner and her spouse, who said “We must do all in our power to get him and other Americans home.”
Griner, who was detained in Russia for the most of last year, said in a statement with Cherelle Griner that was released on Instagram on Saturday night: “Every American that is kidnapped is ours, and every American that is returned is a win for all of us.”
Gershkovich, 31, was detained by Russian security personnel on Thursday on suspicion of spying. The newspaper demanded his release and refuted the accusations.
The only American journalist detained on espionage accusations since the Cold War, Gershkovich, was released on Friday after President Joe Biden pleaded with Russia to do so.
Evan Gershkovich, a reporter for the Wall Street Journal, was taken into Russian security custody on Thursday and charged with espionage. AP
After being detained for drug possession at an airport close to Moscow, Brittney Griner was kept in custody in Russia for ten months. In a prisoner swap with Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout in December, she made her way back to the United States.
The Griners added in their statement that they were appreciative of Biden’s and his administration’s efforts to free Americans imprisoned abroad, including the recent release of US citizen Paul Rusesabagina and Jeff Woodke, who had been held captive for more than six years in Niger.President Biden called on Russia to release Gershkovich, the first American correspondent to be arrested on espionage charges since the Cold War. AFP via Getty Images
The Griners urged their supporters to encourage the government to do whatever it takes to bring wrongfully imprisoned Americans home.
As Russia’s Federal Security Service accused Gershkovich of attempting to obtain classified information, more than 30 news organizations and press freedom advocates have written to Russia’s US Ambassador to express concern that Russia is broadcasting the message that reporting within the country is criminalized.
