US Congressional leaders calls on Russia to release Wall Street Journal reporter

By Diyar Guldogan

WASHINGTON (AA) - The top four leaders in US Congress marked on Friday the one-year anniversary of Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich’s "wrongful" detainment.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, House Speaker Mike Johnson, and Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries said in a joint statement that they "continue to condemn his baseless arrest, fabricated charges, and unjust imprisonment."

They said Russian President Vladimir Putin "is restoring Soviet-style control through repression at home and aggression abroad."

"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.

"We repeat our call for the Russian government to release Evan, Paul Whelan, and others it has wrongfully detained without further delay," the statement read.

Gershkovich, a US citizen working as a correspondent at the newspaper's Moscow bureau, was arrested by the Federal Security Service in the city of Yekaterinburg in March last year. The agency claimed he was caught "red-handed" while collecting secret information.

During an interview with former Fox News host Tucker Carlson in Moscow last month, President Vladimir Putin said dialogue was ongoing between the Russian and American special services, saying Gershkovich’s return has to be resolved in a "calm, responsible and professional manner."