WASHINGTON, July 2, 2024
/PRNewswire/ -- Following is a statement from National Press Club
President Emily Wilkins on the
finding by a United Nations panel that Wall Street Journal Reporter
Evan Gershkovich is being
arbitrarily detained by Russia.
"The UN's report confirms what we have all known: Evan is being
unjustly held in Russia and his
case is a sham. It has been too long. We can't wait another minute.
It is time to bring Evan home.
"We find the UN Working Group's judgment that Evan Gershkovich is arbitrarily
detained to be significant and powerful. We appreciate the
skill of Dow Jones filing and the fair rendering of this
declaration by the UN panel, which is made up of lawyers and
scholars from five UN member nations. We note that Russia was invited to respond during the
review process but declined to do so. They know what the entire
world now knows – that Evan is being held because of his journalism
and for no other reason.
"The UN is a body where Russia
still has significant standing as a Security Council member. That
standing matters to them. This ruling makes plain to all UN member
nations that, after investigation, Russia has offered no evidence or legal basis
for Evan's detention and has engaged in significant deprivation of
Evan's rights to a fair trial. He should be released now without
conditions."
Founded in 1908, the National Press Club is the world's leading
professional organization for journalists. With 3,000 members
representing nearly every major news organization, the Club is a
leading voice for press freedom in the U.S. and worldwide.
Contact: Bill McCarren,
wmccarren@press.org for the National Press Club
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SOURCE National Press Club