(NewsNation) — Friday marks one year since Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich was arrested in Russia on accusations of spying, which he has denied.
He has been kept in pretrial detention, which was just extended to at least June 30. If convicted, he could face up to 20 years in prison.
His sister, Danielle Gershkovich, joined NewsNation to discuss how the family has been dealing with her brother’s imprisonment.
“Every single day is time taken away from him,” Gershkovich said. “I think my parents and I have described it as holding our breath.”
She told NewsNation’s Connell McShane the family is grateful for efforts to keep a spotlight on her brother, including the seriousness with which the White House is treating things.
U.S. Ambassador to Russia Lynne M. Tracy recently spoke at length about Evan Gershkovich.
“Evan has displayed remarkable resilience and strength in the face of this situation. But it is time for the Russian government to let Evan go,” she said. “If the Kremlin has any desire to salvage Russia’s integrity and international esteem, they should do what is right and release Evan.”
Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Friday that Russia has still provided no evidence of wrongdoing by Gershkovich.
“In the year since Evan’s wrongful detention, Russia’s already restrictive media landscape has become more oppressive, with a continued assault against independent voices targeting any form of dissent,” Blinken said
Evan Gershkovich is not the only American detained in Russia, with former Marine Paul Whelan also held in the country.
Danielle Gershkovich said she has not heard any updates on potential prisoner swaps to release her brother or Whelan. In the meantime, she watches footage for clues to her brother’s condition.
“I look at those photos from the courtroom, the footage, and I’m looking for my brother there, and I see it in him,” she said. “It’s still him.”
She also writes her brother regularly, her letters growing longer, along with his detention.
“It’s a chance for me to feel like I’m sitting with him, talking to him,” she said. “Every time a letter comes, it feels like Christmas morning.”
The letters include updates about the family and how their parents are doing.
In the past, a spokesperson for Russian President Vladimir Putin suggested that silence on the reporter’s detention was needed for a prisoner swap to succeed. However, Gershkovich said her family has decided against being quiet.
“We made a decision early on that we were going to be loud and vocal about this and keep Evan in the news,” she said. “We will continue to do so to not let Evan’s story be forgotten.”
House Speaker Mike Johnson R-La., Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., put out a statement condemning what they called Gershkovich’s “baseless arrest, fabricated charges, and unjust imprisonment.”
“On the anniversary of Evan Gershkovich’s captivity, we reaffirm the importance of his work. Journalism is not a crime, and reporters are not bargaining chips. The Kremlin’s attempts to silence Evan and intimidate other Western reporters will not impede the pursuit of truth,” the four top leaders of Congress said in a rare joint statement. “We repeat our call for the Russian government to release Evan, Paul Whelan, and others it has wrongfully detained without further delay.”
