United Nations panel condemns Russia for 'inhumane' treatment of Evan Gershkovich, calls for immediate release
‘Striking lack of any factual or legal substantiation’ to back up espionage charges, UN says
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}A United Nations panel called on Russia to immediately release Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, citing a lack of evidence and condemning the Russian Federation for its "inhumane" treatment.
The 32-year-old American reporter was arrested in March 2023 on espionage charges widely considered dubious, and the Biden administration has officially designated him "wrongfully detained." The U.N. Working Group on Arbitrary Detention agreed, noting a "striking" lack of evidence against Gershkovich.
"There is a striking lack of any factual or legal substantiation provided by the authorities of the Russian Federation for the espionage charges against Mr. Gershkovich," the U.N. Working Group on Arbitrary Detention concluded in a 16-page document that was released Tuesday but adopted in March.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich stands in a glass cage in a courtroom in Yekaterinburg, Russia, Wednesday, June 26, 2024. (AP)
"Based on the unrefuted materials provided, the Working Group considers that the source has demonstrated that Mr. Gershkovich’s arrest was conducted under the pretextual label of espionage but was in fact designed to punish his reporting on the armed conflict," the U.N. group continued, referring to the war between Russia and Ukraine. "Consequently, it lacked a legal basis and is arbitrary."
He is accused of "gathering secret information" for the CIA, which Wall Street Journal leaders have called absurd. Dow Jones CEO Almar Latour and Wall Street Journal editor-in-chief Emma Tucker have repeatedly blasted the "sham" trial.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The Working Group, which is composed of lawyers and legal scholars from five countries who were appointed by the U.N. Human Rights Council, also concluded "that these numerous violations of Mr. Gershkovich’s right to a fair trial and to due process… are of such gravity as to render his deprivation of liberty arbitrary."
Gershkovich appeared in the courtroom last week in a glass cage, with his head shaven, as his trial began.
"The confinement by the Russian Federation of Mr. Gershkovich in a cage amounts to an inhumane piece of political theatre, disingenuously conveying that Mr. Gershkovich is to be feared as a physical threat," the group said.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"Evan Gershkovich is facing a false and baseless charge," Wall Street Journal leaders have said. (NATALIA KOLESNIKOVA/AFP via Getty Images)
Gershkovich is standing trial in the city of Yekaterinburg, where he was arrested last year during a reporting trip. The American-born son of Soviet immigrants was accredited by Russia's Foreign Ministry to report in the country at the time of his arrest.
If convicted, which is expected, Gershkovich faces up to 20 years in prison. Russian courts convict more than 99% of defendants and prosecutors can appeal sentences that they believe to be light. Prosecutors can even appeal acquittals.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The U.N. panel reached conclusions that were already obvious to many onlookers: Gershkovich, the U.S.-born son of Soviet immigrants, was detained for "political leverage" and was targeted based on his national origin.
"Given the facts of the present case and the pattern by the Russian Federation of political hostage-taking, it is clear that the Government of the Russian Federation has detained Mr. Gershkovich on the basis of his nationality and citizenship," the report said.
The Working Group concluded, "the appropriate remedy would be to release Mr. Gershkovich immediately and accord him an enforceable right to compensation and other reparations, in accordance with international law."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}President Joe Biden gestures as an image of Evan Gershkovich appears onscreen during the White House Correspondents Association dinner at the Washington Hilton in Washington, DC, April 29, 2023. (SAUL LOEB/AFP via Getty Images)
Gershkovich is the first American journalist to be arrested on spying allegations since the Cold War, underscoring rock-bottom relations between the U.S. and Russia.
Experts and people familiar with the case have told Fox News Digital the best hope of freedom for Gershkovich — and fellow American held in Russia Paul Whelan — is a high-profile prisoner swap. Russia has suggested a prisoner exchange for Gershkovich could potentially happen in the future, but such a swap is not likely until a verdict is reached in his case.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Anyone interested in learning more about Gershkovich can visit WSJ.com/evan and FreeGershkovich.com.
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Fox News Digital’s Landon Mion and David Rutz contributed to this report.