On March 29, the Russian secret service FSB arrested the US correspondent for the renowned Wall Street Journal, Evan Gershkovich, in Yekaterinburg. The journalist is said to have traveled to do research on the notorious Wagner mercenary group – now Russia is accusing him of espionage. As has now become known, Gershkovich faces up to 20 years in prison if convicted.
Leading German media figures have written an open letter to the Russian Ambassador Yuryevich Netchayev in support of Gershkovich’s release:
We, editors of German media houses, publicists, publishers and media professionals, call on the Russian government to immediately and unconditionally release Evan Gershkovich, who was arrested in Yekaterinburg at the end of March 2023.
Evan Gershkovich, a US citizen, is a distinguished Wall Street Journal journalist. Evan Gershkovich has consistently reported accurately, fairly and extensively on Russia for his current employer and for several other publications.
The allegations of espionage brought against him are unfounded and an act of pure political arbitrariness against the freedom of the press. The wrongful arrest of Evan Gershkovich has prompted Western media to withdraw correspondents from Moscow again. This further erodes press freedom in Russia, as these correspondents now have to report on the situation in Russia remotely – many of them from Berlin. This is a development the world has not seen since the height of the Cold War.
Such measures prevent German media users from receiving an authentic picture of Russia. And they endanger and harm Russia itself: In Germany in particular, we know where the willful destruction of fundamental rights leads.
Journalism is not a crime. Evan Gershkovich doesn’t belong in a Moscow prison. Evan Gershkovich must be released immediately and allowed to go back to his job: reporting facts for the whole world to read.
signatories
Sigrun Albert, General Manager, Federal Association of Digital Publishers and Newspaper Publishers (BDZV)
Julia Becker, Chairwoman of the Supervisory Board and Publisher, Funke Media Group
Jan Philipp Burgard, Editor-in-Chief, Welt Fernsehen
Mathias Döpfner, CEO, Axel Springer SE
Mathis Feldhoff, Chairman, Federal Press Conference
Florian Festl, editor-in-chief of FOCUS online
Carsten Fiedler, Editor-in-Chief, Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger
Thomas Fricker, Editor-in-Chief, Badische Zeitung
Ralf Geisenhanslüke, Editor-in-Chief, Neue Osnabrücker Zeitung
Hendrik Groth, Journalist
Tina Hassel, Editor-in-Chief, ARD Capital Studio
Wilm Herlyn, Publizist
Marion Horn, Chair of the Editor-in-Chief, image
Michael Husarek, Editor-in-Chief, Nuremberg News
Barbara Junge, Editor-in-Chief, taz
Wolfgang Krach, Editor-in-Chief, Süddeutsche Zeitung
Steffen Klusmann, Editor-in-Chief, Der Spiegel
Markus Knall, Editor-in-Chief, Ippen Digital
Tomasz Kurianowicz, Chefredakteur, Berliner Zeitung
Stephan Lamby, filmmaker
Nora Marx, shareholder, Funke media group
Christian Mihr, Managing Director, Reporters Without Borders
Stephanie Nannen, publicist
Johann Oberauer, publisher, Medienfachverlag Oberauer
Anja Pasquay, Managing Director, Theodor Wolff Prize
Benjamin Piel, Editor-in-Chief, Mindener Tageblatt
Ulf Poschardt, Editor-in-Chief, World Group
Jörg Quoos, Editor-in-Chief, Funke Central Redaction Berlin
Marc Rath, Editor-in-Chief, Mitteldeutsche Zeitung and Volksstimme
Thomas Rebbe, Editor-in-Chief, WEB.DE/GMXNews
José Redondo-Vega, Editorial Director, Taos Media
Christoph Reisinger, Editor-in-Chief, Stuttgarter Nachrichten, Schwäbischer Bote
Stephan Scherzer, Federal Managing Director, MVFP Media Association of the Free Press
Jan Schilde, Editor-in-Chief, BZ Berlin
David Schraven, Publisher, Correctiv
Gabor Steingart, Journalist and Editor, The Pioneer
Thomas Thelen, Editor-in-Chief, Aachener Zeitung
Coskun Josh Tuna, Publisher, Kivvon Media
Prof. Frank Überall, Chairman, German Journalists Association (DJV)
Bülent Ürük, Journalist
Jakob Wais, Editor-in-Chief and Managing Director, Business Insider Germany
Maria von Welser, publicist
Philipp Welte, Board Member, Hubert Burda Media and Chairman of the Board, MVFP Medienverband der Freie Presse
Dominik Wichmann, Publisher, Looping Group
Niklas Jakob Wilcke, shareholder, Funke media group
Hans Wilms, editor-in-chief, district newspaper
Jennifer Wilton, Editor-in-Chief, The World
Ulrich Windolph, Editor-in-Chief, Westfalen-Blatt
Bernd Ziesemer, publicist
