It’s been one year since Wall Street Journal journalist Evan Gershkovich was arrested by Russia on false espionage charges.
Read: Biden Admin Reacts to Russia Holding US Journalist Evan Gershkovich
On Friday, his employer put a blank space on its front page to memorialize the one-year anniversary of the actions by Putin that led to the American writer’s imprisonment. Likely to make sure the message got as wide an audience as possible, Caitlin Ostroff, one of Gershkovich’s WSJ colleagues, shared an image of the publication on X early this morning:
The @WSJ front page today.
Evan Gershkovich’s stories have been missing in our pages for one year as of today. This is the journalism that Russia has taken from you. #FreeEvan #IStandWithEvan pic.twitter.com/mTn185JRNo
— Caitlin Ostroff (@ceostroff) March 29, 2024
She wrote:
The @WSJ front page today.
Evan Gershkovich’s stories have been missing in our pages for one year as of today. This is the journalism that Russia has taken from you.
#FreeEvan #IStandWithEvan
There was also a rare joint statement from Congress marking the date of “his baseless arrest,” and condemning his “unjust imprisonment” by Vladimir Putin’s regime.
Evan Gershkovich, American citizen and reporter for The Wall Street Journal, has now spent a year wrongfully detained by Putin’s government.
On the anniversary of his captivity, we continue to condemn his baseless arrest, fabricated charges, unjust imprisonment.
Our statement: pic.twitter.com/v3KAGTyUIi
— Chuck Schumer (@SenSchumer) March 29, 2024
This bittersweet and timely post–as we near the end of the Lenten season–by another WSJ colleague noted that he was arrested just before Passover in ’23:
I can’t believe my colleague #EvanGershkovich has been sitting in prison for a year. Last year, when he was arrested right before Passover, we asked people to save a seat for him at their seder. I never imagined we’d have to do this for a second year in a row. Evan must be free.
— Shayndi Raice (@Shayndi) March 29, 2024
Meanwhile, the Biden White House, as usual, released a flat, boilerplate statement:
Biden on anniversary of Evan Gershkovich’s detention by Russia: “To Evan, to Paul Whelan, and to all Americans held hostage or wrongfully detained abroad: We are with you. And we will never stop working to bring you home.”
— Morgan Chalfant (@mchalfant16) March 29, 2024
It reads, in part:
“To Evan, to Paul Whelan, and to all Americans held hostage or wrongfully detained abroad: We are with you. And we will never stop working to bring you home.”
The White House’s statement marking one year since @WSJ reporter Evan Gershkovich has been detained in Russia. pic.twitter.com/7i1UzRv0q0
— Stephanie Myers (@_StephanieMyers) March 29, 2024
This brief and lackluster statement from Biden rings hollow. His communications team clearly felt the need to throw something out there to appear that they were doing something or give a crap about an American being held captive overseas.
They don’t, and we know this because of how the administration is turning away from supporting Israel and its fight to destroy Hamas in the wake of the terror group’s attack on Oct. 7. It’s likely the only way the kidnapped Americans the terrorists are holding in Gaza will ever see freedom.
Read:
WATCH: Kirby Defends U.S. Abstention From U.N. Ceasefire Resolution That Strained Relations With Israel
Netanyahu Slams Biden Over UN Ceasefire Vote, Calls Off Aides’ Trip to Washington
The administration that can’t even stand with our ally Israel, when the UN condemns it, can’t expect anyone to take its words seriously on this.
Some might counter by asking what the WH should have done instead. Off the top of my head, since the publication’s post went up on X nearly three hours before someone in the West Wing sent out Biden’s milquetoast statement–repost the WSJ front page photo. But when have those folks ever done things the easy way?
Related at RedState: House Resolutions Demand Russia Release Imprisoned Marine Paul Whelan and Journalist Evan Gershkovich
