There may be a potential prisoner swap in the works to free Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich from a prison in Russia. A Kremlin spokesman held a briefing and said that Russia is in contact with the United States about a prisoner swap. He made only a brief statement, though, because Russians demand secrecy when these deals are being worked out.
Dmitry Peskov, the Kremlin spokesman, said in response to a question about prisoner swaps, “There are certain contacts in this regard, but we do not want to make them public in any way,” Peskov said, without naming any detainee. “They must continue in complete silence.”
The swap may be between Evan and Vladimir Dunaev, who is in U.S. custody on cybercrime charges.
Evan was granted a consular visit after repeated requests by the U.S. Embassy. On Monday, Ambassador Lynne Tracy visited Evan. It was only the second visit since his detention. Dunaev received a similar visit on Tuesday.
Gershkovich will remain in Moscow’s Lefortovo prison as things stand now. He was denied a request to be released, pending his trial, which means he will be there until at least August 30. His lawyers have appealed FSB’s request. Russian officials have said that any prisoner swap would likely not happen until Evan’s verdict is rendered at trial.
If you haven’t been following this case, the State Department declared Evan “wrongfully detained”, a distinction that gives the department additional tools to use in trying to secure his release. He is a reporter for the Wall Street Journal who works out of the publication’s Moscow bureau. He is accredited by Russia’s Foreign Ministry to work as a journalist. While on a reporting trip to the city of Yekaterinburg, he was detained by Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB). That was on March 29. He is being held on an allegation of espionage. Evan, the Wall Street Journal, and the U.S. government all deny that Evan is a spy. Officials in Washington have said that Evan isn’t a spy and has never worked for the government. He was arrested while doing his job – a job he was granted permission to do in Russia.
Washington has said Gershkovich isn’t a spy and has never worked for the government. The White House doesn’t have any additional information to share at this time.
“While we unfortunately do not have a breakthrough to share, we continue to pursue every avenue to secure the release of Evan Gershkovich and fellow American Paul Whelan,” a White House official said on Tuesday.
The special presidential envoy for hostage affairs, Roger Carstens, said last week that the U.S. had been in contact with Russia over the reporter’s case and would continue to try to find ways to work for his release, but that Russian officials had signaled they weren’t especially willing to engage.
“He’s not a spy. We’ve been very clear with that with the Russians. The Russians, however, have been playing a tough game. They’re not willing to really talk to us about him yet,” Carstens said, appearing on a panel at the Aspen Ideas Festival.
It is interesting that the State Department includes Paul Whelan in this conversation. Whelan has been detained, also for espionage, after being arrested in December 2018. He was visiting for a friend’s wedding. He is a corporate-security executive from Michigan. Whelan was sentenced to 16 years in prison in 2020. Biden has failed to secure Whelan’s release and his family is doing all they can to keep his case in the public’s eye. His brother has launched an online campaign to secure Paul’s release. He reminds the media of Paul’s detention. His sister Elizabeth is also active, having met with White House officials.
The Biden administration hasn’t been particularly successful in securing the release of U.S. citizens. The Biden administration seems to prefer to use prisoner swaps. Russia is one of six countries deemed to be engaging in wrongful detentions.
American basketball player Brittney Griner, convicted of drug charges, was exchanged for Russian businessman Viktor Bout, who had been imprisoned in the U.S. on arms-trafficking charges. Trevor Reed, an American who was convicted in Russia of assaulting two police officers, was swapped for Konstantin Yaroshenko, who had been sentenced to 20 years in prison in 2011 for conspiracy to smuggle cocaine into the U.S.
The U.S. has been grappling with a rise in hostage diplomacy, in which hostile foreign governments seeking to extract concessions have detained Americans on what the U.S. deems to be trumped-up charges. In recent years, such instances have eclipsed the capture of Americans by terrorist groups and criminal gangs, according to multiple counts. Russia is formally considered by the U.S. to be one of six countries engaging in a pattern of wrongful detentions, along with China, Iran, Myanmar, North Korea and Venezuela, against a backdrop of rising tensions for the Kremlin with the West and for Moscow’s own invasion of Ukraine.
One American that gets left out of the discussion is American schoolteacher Marc Fogel. He taught in an American school in Russia for years. He is being detained over possession of marijuana. His case is much like Brittney Griner’s. Funny, the Biden administration secured the release of a WNBA player in exchange for a notorious arms dealer, while Whelan and Fogel languish in prison.
The chances of Evan being released soon are slim. Espionage trials are held in secret and often include delays. Let’s hope this story is the beginning of some good news for him and his family.
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