News Corp Australia staff stand together to support detained Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich
Hundreds of News Corp Australia employees have shown their support for detained Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich who has been detained in Russia for 100 days.
Hundreds of News Corporation employees stood together in a sign of solidarity for detained US journalist Evan Gershkovich who has been imprisoned in Russia for 100 days.
The 31-year-old Wall Street Journal reporter was detained by agents from Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) on March 29 while on a reporting trip to Yekaterinburg and has been held on allegations of espionage.
Staff at News Corp (publisher of The Australian, Herald Sun, Daily Telegraph, The Courier Mail and other publications) joined together in metropolitan and regional locations around the country on Thursday and held signs with a picture of Gershkovich that read, “100 days, #istandwithevan”.
News Corp Australasia Executive Chairman Michael Miller said it was vital the company and employees showed their support for Gershkovich who remains imprisoned.
“The hashtag #IStandWithEvan has become synonymous with keeping the plight of our colleague Evan Gershkovich front of mind for the Australian government and governments around the world,” he said.
“Now after 100 days in prison we need to make it very clear that we – as a company and as an industry – collectively stand with Evan.
“We will always stand up for freedom of speech and all citizen’s right to know and we will always stand firm against sanctions, censorship and those who wrongfully detain others.”
An advertising campaign supporting Gershkovich will be published in News Corp publications nationally on Friday.
Gershkovich, the WSJ and the US government have vehemently denied his charges and on Monday US ambassador to Russia Lynne Tracy was granted access to the reporter in her second visit with him.
Gershkovich, an American citizen, remains in detention until at least August 30 while he awaits trial and the US state department said in a statement: “Ambassador Tracy reports that Mr Gershkovich is in good health and remains strong, despite his circumstances.
“US Embassy officials will continue to provide all appropriate support to Mr Gershkovich and his family and we expect Russian authorities to provide continued consular access.”
Tracy visited Gershkovich at the Lefortovo detention centre in Russia’s capital, Moscow.
On Friday it will mark 100 days since Gershkovich was arrested in Russia.
WSJ Washington bureau chief Paul Beckett said in a TV interview this week it was a relief that the US ambassador to Russia had visited Gershkovich and he must be released immediately.
“Obviously anything that signals the prospect of some movement gives us some encouragement but I would say overall in terms of our mood we are still prepared for this to be the long haul that we have always expected it to be,” he said.
“Let him go, they know he is not a spy, they know he is a journalist, he is a very good journalist and he was a reporter there reporting on a country that he loves.”
Reports this week also said the Kremlin had raised the potential of a prisoner swap between Russia and the US.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov was asked about a potential swap with Vladimir Dunaev, a Russian citizen who is in custody in the US on cybercrime charges.
“We have said that there have been certain contacts on the subject, but we don’t want them to be discussed in public,” he said.
“They must be carried out and continue in complete silence.”
Additional reporting: The Wall Street Journal.
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