U.S. House Votes 422-0 to Demand Release of Evan Gershkovich

“We applaud this latest show of bipartisan support from Congress in the fight for Evan’s release,” said Wall Street Journal Editor in Chief Emma Tucker. “His wrongful detention is a blow to press freedom, and it should matter to anyone who values free society. We will not rest until he is free.” 

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The House was also set to vote on a similar resolution to free businessman Paul Whelan.

Gershkovich, 31 years old, was detained on March 29 by Russia’s Federal Security Service, or FSB, while he was on a reporting trip in the city of Yekaterinburg and held on an allegation of espionage that he, the Journal and the U.S. government vehemently deny.

In early April, Russian state media reported that Gershkovich was formally charged with espionage. Gershkovich pleaded not guilty to the charges, the first allegations of spying against an American journalist since the Cold War. Last month, a Russian court extended his detention through August at Moscow’s Lefortovo prison, where he has been held since late March. 

Russian authorities haven’t publicly provided evidence to support the allegation. The U.S. government has designated Gershkovich as wrongfully detained. Western governments, global news organizations, press-freedom advocates and human-rights groups around the world have joined the Journal and the Biden administration in demanding his immediate release. The U.S. has said Gershkovich isn’t a spy and has never worked for the government.

Russia has said that it is acting in accordance with its own laws.

Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich was detained in Russia on March 29 while on a reporting trip and accused of spying. Here’s a breakdown of the events surrounding his arrest and what comes next. Illustration: Todd Johnson

For Rep. Haley Stevens (D., Mich.), the resolution’s approval has demonstrated bipartisan unity on the issue as the Biden administration works to get both men returned to the U.S. 

“All of this has been emblematic of Putin’s flagrant lawlessness, and it is something that can bring us together in a bipartisan way,” Stevens, the co-chair of a congressional task force on hostages and detainees, said in an interview, referencing Russian President Vladimir Putin. “[The resolution] shows that their government is behind them, but it also sends a pretty stark message to Mr. Putin, that we’re not going to let you get away with this.” 

Rep. Michael McCaul (R., Texas), the chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, spoke on the House floor Mondaty, saying that “the U.S. House stands with them and demands their release.” 

President Biden said last month his administration is working every day to secure the release of Gershkovich and Whelan. Last year, Biden signed a new executive order aimed at deterring hostage taking and wrongful detentions around the world and strengthening efforts to bring unlawfully detained Americans home.

Whelan, a former U.S. Marine, was arrested in Russia in December 2018. In June 2020, he received a 16-year prison sentence. The U.S. House passed a measure in the last Congress as well calling for his freedom. 

Write to Simon J. Levien at [email protected]

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