Press Freedom
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Reporter Without Borders
OPC Celebrates Release of Jailed Journalists in Russia
NEW YORK, Aug. 1, 2024 – The Overseas Press Club of America is thrilled with the news that Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich has been freed from a Russian prison where he was unjustly held after being wrongly convicted of spying charges. Along with Paul Whelan and journalist Alsu Kurmasheva, among others, Gershkovich is being released as part of a prisoner swap.
Journalism is not a crime. While we celebrate the release of Evan and Alsu, this is a stark reminder that journalism is a vocation and press freedom a right, which the OPC will continue to fight to preserve around the world.
The OPC congratulates the Wall Street Journal, which has pushed tirelessly for Evan’s release, as well as his family and the families of the others released from wrongful detention in Russia. Gershkovich was arrested in March 2023 while on a reporting assignment and later unjustly convicted of espionage charges for simply doing his job as a journalist. He was held for 491 days.
Almar Latour, the chief executive officer of Dow Jones and publisher of The Wall Street Journal, spoke at the OPC Awards dinner a month after Evan was captured, and told the OPC that teams were working around the clock to secure his release – and delivered a message from Gershkovich, through his lawyers, saying he was “humbled and deeply touched by all the letters I received.”
The OPC, which stood with The Wall Street Journal and other organizations fighting for Evan to be freed, celebrates today’s news. However, we are reminded that other journalists remain unjustly detained in Russia and around the world for doing their jobs. The OPC condemns any government for using journalists as pawns in geopolitical conflicts and condemns the Russian government for Evan’s capture, imprisonment and unjust prison sentence.
The Overseas Press Club of America is the nation’s oldest and largest association of journalists engaged in international news. Every year, it awards the most prestigious prizes devoted exclusively to international news coverage. It was founded in 1939 by nine foreign correspondents in New York City, and has grown to nearly 500 members worldwide. The club’s mission is to uphold the highest standards in news reporting, advance press freedom and promote good fellowship among colleagues while educating a new generation of journalists.