Statement from the AFPC-USA Club Concerning the Unlawful Detention of WSJ Reporter Evan Gershkovich

The following is a statement from the Club of the Association of Foreign Press Correspondents (AFPC-USA) in response to the detention of American journalist Evan Gershkovich, who works for The Wall Street Journal. This week, while covering Russia, Gershkovich was detained by Russian authorities on charges of espionage. His arrest marks the first time an American journalist has been detained by Russia since the Cold War.

With the detention of US journalist Evan Gershkovich, Russia has shown the world that it is expanding its war on press freedoms to a new front. After years of clamping down on free expression and independent media voices domestically, Moscow is now targeting foreign reporters in what appears to bea clumsy attempt to block scrutiny of its illegal war in Ukraine.

 The Association of Foreign Press Correspondents condemns this outrageous, unlawful, provocative and unwarranted detention of an international reporter and calls on Moscow to immediately release Mr Gershkovich.

The Club of the AFPC-USA is a membership organization dedicated to advance the professional status and broadening the career opportunities of credentialed foreign correspondents representing global media in the United States.