We demand the immediate release of our colleague Evan Gershkovich A letter from journalists and media professionals
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On March 30, Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) announced the arrest of our colleague Evan Gershkovich, a U.S. citizen and a correspondent for The Wall Street Journal. Russian security forces claim he was engaged in espionage, and the Kremlin insists that he was “caught red-handed.” We, independent Russian journalists and representatives of civil society, do not believe these accusations and consider them unfounded.
The FSB alleges that Gershkovich, acting on instructions from the U.S., collected information comprising a state secret about the activities of one of Russia’s defense enterprises. But the agency has provided no evidence to support this claim; it expects us to take its investigators at their word. This was also the case during the prosecution of another colleague of ours, Ivan Safronov. Thanks to a series of journalistic investigations, the details of Safronov’s alleged “treason” became known to the public, and we consider it proven that Ivan was sentenced to 22 years in prison for his journalistic work. The similarities between this new “espionage” case and the case against Safronov give us reason to seriously doubt the accusations against Evan Gershkovich.
We consider the case against Gershkovich preposterous and unjust. Evan Gershkovich’s reputation as a reporter is stellar, and his work has always met the highest journalistic standards.
The FSB’s reputation, on the contrary, has been destroyed over the years by its own agents. There is no reason for society to trust these “professionals.”
We, independent Russian journalists and representatives of civil society, support our foreign colleagues who take upon themselves the great risks of working in Russia. We demand that our colleague Evan Gershkovich be set free immediately.
Sergey Parkhomenko, journalist
Dmitry Kolezev, editor-in-chief, Republic
Alexander Plyushchev, journalist
Tatiana Felgenhauer, journalist
Andrey Zakharov, journalist
Andrey Soldatov, Agentura.ru
Irina Borogan, Agentura.ru
Yegor Skovoroda, Mediazona
Maxim Kurnikov, project manager, Echo
Olesya Gerasimenko, BBC News Russian
The editors of Popular Politics
Ilya Shepelin, journalist
Maxim Martemyanov, journalist
Zhanna Nemtsova, Nemtsov Foundation
Olga Shorina, Nemtsov Foundation
Ilya Ber, Verified.Media
Veronika Kutsillo, Polygon Media
Tatiana Malkina, journalist
Andrey Arkhangelsky, journalist
Vasily Matenov, Asians of Russia
Fedor Krasheninnikov, political analyst
Grigory Okhotin, OVD-Info
Kirill Rogov, Re:Russia
Olga Romanova, Russia Behind Bars
Anna Stavitskaya, lawyer
Sarkis Darbinyan, RoskomSvoboda
Andrey Borzenko, Libo/Libo
Pavel Kanygin, To Be Continued
Dmitry Butrin, Kommersant
Zhenya Snezhkina, journalist
InTransit antiwar initiative
Filipp Bakhtin, Repost
Dmitry Navosha, journalist
Lev Gershenzon, founder, The True Story
Mikhail Zygar, writer
Maxim Trudolyubov, journalist
Irina Malkova, The Bell
Petr Mironenko, The Bell
Kirill Martynov, Novaya Gazeta Europe
Sergey Smirnov, Mediazona
Dmitry Treshchanin, Mediazona
Dmitry Tkachev, Mediazona
Maxim Solyus, editor
Elizaveta Osetinskaya, founder, The Bell
Lyubov Sobol, politician
Ekaterina Kotrikadze, director of information services, TV Rain
Tikhon Dziadko, editor-in-chief, TV Rain
Ivan Kolpakov, editor-in-chief, Meduza
Galina Timchenko, publisher, Meduza
Katya Arenina, Project
Elizaveta Nesterova, Mediazona
Regina Gimalova, correspondent, Verstka
Anna Loyko, editor, Sota
The editors of Project
The editors of Agentstvo
Mikhail Zelensky, journalist
The editors of Sirena
Daria Guskova, Mediazona
Farida Rustamova, Faridaily
Maxim Tovkailo, Faridaily
Emmanuel Grynszpan, Le Monde
Victoria Belyashin, journalist, Gazeta Wyborcza (Poland)
Artyom Besedin, Echo
Ivan Makridin, journalist
Anastasia Privalova, editor, Aromo.ru
Nino Rosebashvili, Popular Politics
Yana Kuchina, journalist
Viktor Muchnik, Govorit NeMoskva and Eyewitnesses
Viktoriya Muchnik, Govorit NeMoskva and Eyewitnesses
Irina Samokhina, Govorit NeMoskva and Eyewitnesses
Olga Mutovina, People of Baikal
Elena Trifonova, People of Baikal
Alexander Cherkasov, Memorial
Sergey Medvedev, Dekabristen e.V.
Elena Kostyuchenko, journalist
Dima Shvets, Mediazona
Olga Shakina, journalist, staff member of the human rights project First Division
Ivan Rublev, editor-in-chief, It’s My City
Ekaterina Martynova, DOXA
Ilya Davlyatchin, We Can Explain
Peter Ruzavin, journalist
Maxim Polyakov, 7x7
Maxim Kondratyev, "Avtozak LIVE
Sergey Shelin, journalist
Alesya Marokhovskaya, data editor, iStories
Marina-Maya Govzman, Spectrum
Oleg Klimov, photojournalist
Philip Sterkin, journalist
Natalia Gevorkyan, journalist
Alexey Kamensky, journalist
Makar Sitkin, Novaya Gazeta
Andrey Karev, Novaya Gazeta
Marina Karlin, editor-in-chief, Russian Switzerland magazine
Andrey Loshak, journalist
Alexandra Vladimirova, journalist
Sergey Kovalchenko, Conspiracy Theories
Denis Dmitriev, journalist
Anastasia Kuts, journalist
Ksenia Larina, journalist
Tatiana Ivanova, editor-in-chief, Bumaga
Amrak Khachikyan, DOXA
Gala Latygovskaya, Mediazona
Mikhail Danilovich, Novaya Vkladka
Alla Konstantinova, Mediazona
Allie Hellfire, Mediazona
Polina Glukhova, Mediazona
Maria Tolstova, Mediazona
Denis Katayev, TV Rain
Kirill Artyomenko, CEO, Bumaga
Maria Rzaeva, commercial director, Bumaga
Vitaly Ruvinsky, Echo
Darya Kozlova, correspondent, Novaya Gazeta Europe
Asif Aliyev, editor, QIRIM.News
Ilya Azar, Novaya Gazeta Europe
Alexandra Simutina, journalist
Larisa Zhukova, journalist
Mikhail Fishman, journalist
Lev Gyammer, editor-in-chief, and the staff of Skat Media
Timofey Ilyushin, journalist, SOTAvision
Sabina Aliyeva, journalist, Tribuna
Elizaveta Antonova, Kit
Anna Chesova, Kit
Vitaly Vasilchenko, journalist
Natasha Kondrashova, journalist
Alexander Amzin, journalist
Margarita Lutova, journalist
Yekaterina Myachikova, journalist
Anna Kovalevskaya, journalist
Pyotr Sapozhnikov, journalist
Svetlana Reiter, journalist
Kristina Safonova, journalist
Vladislav Gorin, journalist
Ilya Rozhdestvensky, Dossier Center
Evgeny Snegov, Echo
Andrey Pertsev, journalist
Yevgeny Feldman, journalist
Ekaterina Markhulia, communications expert
Alexandra Prokopenko, independent journalist, The Bell newsletter
Yulia Starostina, journalist
Vladimir Kharitonov, publisher
Vadim Brydov, photojournalist
Denis Kasyanchuk, The Bell
Dmitry Sukharev, journalist, Radio Liberty
Daria Nilova, journalist, Equality Media
Sasha Polivanov, editor-in-chief, HelpDesk.Media
Artyom Filatov, journalist, Freedom Experience
Irina Babloyan, journalist
Andrey Afanasyev, journalist, Radio Liberty and SOTA
Yury Litvinenko, journalist, Kommersant
Tatyana Torocheshnikova, TV Rain
Natalya Baranova, content producer, Social Technologies Greenhouse
Valery Nechay, editor, Look for the Way Out YouTube channel
Kevin Rothrock, journalist
The editors of Verstka
David Arakelyan, Novaya Gazeta Europe
Georgy Chentemirov, journalist, The Barents Observer
Ilya Kosygin, editor-in-chief, and the editorial staff of Dovod
Ekaterina Balaban, journalist
Alexandra Zerkaleva, journalist
Eilish Hart, journalist
Sam Breazeale, journalist
Anna Razumnaya, literary critic, editor, Meduza in English
Bogdan Bakaleiko, journalist, Khodorkovsky Live
Editorial staff of Belsat TV
Editorial staff, Vot Tak
Renat Davletgildeyev, Polygon Media
Victor Kotov, Polygon Media
Anna Trefilova, Polygon Media
Dmitry Yelovsky, Polygon Media
Yury Belyat, Polygon Media
Yulia Azarova, Polygon Media
Vasily Krestyaninov, photo editor, HelpDesk.Media
Pavel Faranosov, editor-in-chief, Koroche, Yekaterinburg
Alexander Shurshev, Chronicles.Media
Maxim Litavrin, Mediazona
Ivan Preobrazhensky, independent analyst
Georgy Alexandrov, independent journalist
Mikhail Mikhnevich, Chronicles.Media
Andrey Shishkin, editor-in-chief, Two Chairs
Elizaveta Pestova, Mediazona
Galina Sidorova, journalist, co-founder, Commonwealth of Investigative Journalists — 19/29 Foundation
Alexander Borzenko, editor
Semyon Kochkin, Angry Chuvashia
The editors of Perm 36.6
Sofya Kanevskaya, Novaya Gazeta Europe
Mikhail Shubin, OVD-Info
Nigina Beroeva, journalist
Andrey Ryssev, journalist, MR7
Olya Romashova, Mediazona
The editors of Chronicles.Media
Maxim Katz, public figure
Oleg Kashin, Kashin Plus
Edward Burmistrov, TV Rain
Elizaveta Kirpanova, journalist
Lizaveta Tsybulina, Transparency International Russia
Oleg Pshenichny, The Insider
Liliana Glazova, member, St. Petersburg Union of Journalists, retired
Oksana Sergeyeva, municipal deputy, Novgorod municipal district, Novgorod
Maria Kuznetsova, press secretary, OVD-Info
Boris Zolotarevsky, founder, Chelyabinsk of the Future
Alexander Gorokhov, journalist
David Frenkel, Mediazona
Yulia Mineyeva, journalist
The editors of Perito Burrito
Anna Nemzer, TV Rain and RIMA
Michele A. Berdy, Culture Editor, The Moscow Times
Thomas Nilsen, The Barents Observer (Norway)
Szele Tamás, Huppa.hu, CyberThreat Report and Zóna.com (Hungary)
Artur Asafiev, Radio Liberty
Evgeny Enikyeev, data journalist, human rights activist
Artyom Batechko, Donbass24
Dmitriy Grishchenko, photo editor
Roman Olegov, journalist
Maya Guseva, journalist
Evgeny Kochergin, Dozor
Anastasiya Lotareva, journalist
Marina Bürky, freelance journalist
Anton Karliner, photojournalist
Natalia Vakhonina, journalist
Ned Garvey, journalist
Ilya Yablokov, media researcher
Konstantin Sonin, professor, University of Chicago
Katerina Maximova, The Insider
Yuri Gladysh, journalist and political analyst
Ruslan Gafarov, journalist
Ksenia Potayeva, journalist
Vera Krichevskaya, documentary filmmaker
Alexey Korostelev, journalist
Tatiana Grositskaya, journalist
Elena Servettaz, SwissInfo
Ben Aris, IntelliNews
Gleb Golod, journalist
Elena Voloshina, France 24
Mika Golubovsky, editor
Dmitry Vokhmintsev, journalist
Sergey Erzhenkov, journalist
Dmitry Muratov, Nobel laureate
Natalia Rostova, journalist
Emily Laskin, journalist
Stepan Botarev, journalist
Dasha Litvishko, journalist
Stanislav Kucher, journalist
Evgeny Simkin, founder, Samizdatonline.org
Deirdre O’Brien, executive director, Samizdatonline.org
Sam Grossman, media director, Samizdatonline.org
Michael Sprague, co-founder, Samizdatonline.org
Alex Holder, design director, Samizdatonline.org
Anna Trubacheva, editor-in-chief, Samizdatonline.org
Daniel Alexandrov, Paper Kartuli
Roman Pearl, documentary maker
Nikita Kuzmin, editor, RuGrad
Henrik Kaufholz, journalist, Politiken
Maria Borzunova, journalist
This list is being updated. If you’re an independent journalist, you can add your signature to this letter by writing to [email protected] and telling us your name and your workplace (along with a way for us to verify your identity).