Unconscionable abuse of reporter

Friday’s first anniversary of the jailing in Moscow of Evan Gershkovich, a reporter for our sister paper The Wall Street Journal, is a reminder of the malign injustice and disregard for human rights underpinning Vladimir Putin’s regime. Gershkovich, 32, has been held for 12 months in the notorious Lefortovo prison without being formally charged or put on trial. On Tuesday, the regime got a court order to rubberstamp his detention for another three months.

When Gershkovich was arrested the Kremlin said he was suspected of spying – a claim the Journal dismissed, pointing out “his real offence is honest reporting … if he does go to trial, any charges against him will be wholly invented”. Like its ally Iran, Russia under Putin has made a habit of snatching foreigners, particularly Americans, and holding them in return for Russians convicted of crimes in the West. In 2022, Russia arrested American basketball celebrity Brittney Griner on a drugs charge. She was held for 10 months before the Kremlin exchanged her for arms dealer Viktor Bout, who was serving 25 years on terror-related charges.

Gershkovich is exactly what Putin and his cronies do not want covering them: a fluent Russian speaker determined to write the truth and not be cowed. He is the first US reporter arrested by the Kremlin since the Cold War. His last report showed the Russian economy was not as strong as claimed. Both sides of US politics back the Biden administration’s efforts to gain his release, with the exception of Donald Trump, who admires Putin. “Why the silence, sir?” the Journal asked in an editorial. Mr Trump should respond.

Concern is growing about Putin’s methods, which recently have included the death in an icy Siberian penal colony of 47-year-old opposition leader Alexei Navalny. Responding to News Corp Australia’s Dear Evan campaign, Australians from all walks of life are raising their voices against the injustice suffered by Gershkovich. Foreign Minister Penny Wong and former prime minister Tony Abbott seldom agree. But their unity on Gershkovich’s plight reflects universal disgust. Senator Wong commended his “bravery and resolve”; Mr Abbott said Russia was a rogue state.

As US ambassador to Russia Lynne Tracy said outside court when Gershkovich’s detention was extended: “The accusations against Evan are categorically untrue. They are not a different interpretation of circumstances. They are fiction.” His detention “is not about evidence, due process or rule of law”. It is about “using American citizens as pawns to achieve political ends”.