UN panel calls on Russia to immediately release Wall Street Journal reporter Ivan GershkovitchHe condemned the Russian Federation for its “inhumane” treatment, citing a lack of evidence.
The 32-year-old US reporter was arrested in March 2023 on espionage charges, widely considered dubious, and the Biden administration has officially declared her “wrongfully detained.” The UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention agreed, noting the “astonishing” lack of evidence against Gershkovitch.
The United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention concluded that, “No factual or legal evidence has been provided by the authorities of the Russian Federation to support the allegations of espionage against Mr. Gershkovich.” 16 page document Which was released on Tuesday but adopted in March.
Wall Street Journal reporter Ivan Gershkovich stands in a glass cage in a courtroom in Yekaterinburg, Russia, Wednesday, June 26, 2024. (AP)
“Based on the unredacted material provided, the Working Group believes the source has demonstrated that Mr. Gershkovich’s arrest was made under the pretext of espionage, but was in fact done to punish his reporting on the armed conflict,” the UN group said, referring to the war between Russia and Ukraine. “As a result, it lacked a legal basis and is arbitrary.”
He is accused of “collecting secret information” for the CIA, which Wall Street Journal leaders have called absurd. Dow Jones CEO Alamar Latour and Wall Street Journal editor-in-chief Emma Tucker have repeatedly denounced this “sham” trial.
The working group, which includes lawyers and legal scholars from five countries appointed by the United Nations Human Rights Council, also concluded that “these multiple violations of Mr. Gershkovitch’s right to a fair trial and due process … are so severe that depriving him of liberty is arbitrary.”
As Gershkovic’s trial began last week, he appeared in court in a glass cage, his head shaved.
“The Russian Federation’s confinement of Mr. Gershkovitch in a cage is an inhumane political gimmick that insidiously sends the message that Mr. Gershkovitch should be considered a physical threat,” the group said.
“Ivan Gershkovitch has been subjected to false and unfounded allegations,” The Wall Street Journal quoted the paper as saying. (Natalia Kolesnikova/AFP via Getty Images)
Gershkovitch is on trial in the city of Yekaterinburg, where he was arrested last year During the reporting tripThe US-born son of Soviet immigrants had been given permission by Russia’s Foreign Ministry to report into the country at the time of his arrest.
If convicted, which is expected, Gershkovic could be sentenced to life in prison. Up to 20 years in prisonRussian courts convict more than 99% of defendants, and prosecutors can appeal sentences they consider light. Prosecutors can also appeal acquittals.
The U.N. panel reached a conclusion that was already obvious to many: Gershkovitch, the U.S.-born son of Soviet immigrants, was detained for “political gain” and targeted based on his national origin.
“Given the facts of the present case and the pattern of political hostage-taking by the Russian Federation, it is clear that the Government of the Russian Federation has detained Mr. Gershkovitch on the basis of his nationality and citizenship,” the report said.
The Working Group concluded that, “The appropriate remedy would be to immediately release Mr. Gershkovitch and grant him his enforceable right to compensation and other reparations in accordance with international law.”
President Joe Biden points as an image of Ivan Gershkovic appears on screen during the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner at the Washington Hilton in Washington, DC on April 29, 2023. (Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images)
Gershkovitch is the first American journalist to be arrested on espionage charges since the Cold War, underscoring the deteriorating relations between the United States and Russia.
Experts and people familiar with the matter told Fox News Digital The best hope of freedom for Gershkovitch and fellow American Paul Whelan, also held in Russia, is a high-profile prisoner swap. Russia has suggested that a prisoner swap for Gershkovitch could potentially happen in the future, but until a decision is reached in his case, such a swap is unlikely.
Anyone interested in learning more about Gershkovitch can visit WSJ.com/evan And FreeGershkovich.com,
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Fox News Digital’s Landon Mien and David Rutz contributed to this report.
