Senators from both major political parties came together to issue a resolution calling for the release of imprisoned Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich in Russia.
Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Ben Cardin, D-Md., and ranking member Sen. Jim Risch, R-Idaho, introduced a resolution this week that was joined by 25 other senators calling for Russia to release Gershkovich and for the U.S. to push for Moscow to release him immediately.
"Evan Gershkovich, a journalist with the Wall Street Journal, has been wrongfully detained in Russia for merely for doing his job: reporting facts and shedding light on President Putin’s bogus rationale for his illegal war against Ukraine," Cardin said in a statement.
He went on to note the imprisonment of former U.S. Marine Paul Whelan, who also is being detained in Russia, and called for both Gershkovich and Whelan to be released.
"I am proud to stand up for Evan and others wrongfully detained, including Paul Whelan, while also strengthening our ability to prevent others from facing a similar fate," Cardin said. "Evan and Paul cannot be left behind, and as Chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, I will continue to sound the alarm about this grave injustice and do everything in my power to safely bring them home to their families."
Risch added, "Freedom of the press is critical to holding governments accountable around the world. Unfortunately, Evan Gershkovich was jailed for simply doing his job — reporting on Russia’s brutal and unprovoked war against Ukraine."
Theodore Bunker ✉
Theodore Bunker, a Newsmax writer, has more than a decade covering news, media, and politics.
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