The Board of the National Press Club of Australia calls for the immediate release of Evan Gershkovich of The Wall Street Journal so he can return home from Russia in safety. The decision by a Russian court to sentence him to 16 years in prison is an outrage and an affront to press freedom.
Journalism is not a crime. Journalists should be free to do their work without the fear of prosecution and prison for reporting in the public interest. The Russian government reviewed and approved the press credentials for Gershkovich to do his reporting. The government could have withdrawn those credentials but made the groundless decision to arrest him on espionage charges. The court has compounded that injustice with its extreme prison sentence.
We extend our support to Gershkovitz, his colleagues at The Wall Street Journal and his friends and family. We express our support for journalists around the world who are facing charges or are locked behind bars for doing their jobs.
