We demand the immediate release of our colleague Evan Gershkovich A letter from journalists and media professionals

On March 30, Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) announced the arrest of our colleague Evan Gershkovich, a U.S. citizen and a correspondent for The Wall Street Journal. Russian security forces claim he was engaged in espionage, and the Kremlin insists that he was “caught red-handed.” We, independent Russian journalists and representatives of civil society, do not believe these accusations and consider them unfounded.

The FSB alleges that Gershkovich, acting on instructions from the U.S., collected information comprising a state secret about the activities of one of Russia’s defense enterprises. But the agency has provided no evidence to support this claim; it expects us to take its investigators at their word. This was also the case during the prosecution of another colleague of ours, Ivan Safronov. Thanks to a series of journalistic investigations, the details of Safronov’s alleged “treason” became known to the public, and we consider it proven that Ivan was sentenced to 22 years in prison for his journalistic work. The similarities between this new “espionage” case and the case against Safronov give us reason to seriously doubt the accusations against Evan Gershkovich.

We consider the case against Gershkovich preposterous and unjust. Evan Gershkovich’s reputation as a reporter is stellar, and his work has always met the highest journalistic standards.

The FSB’s reputation, on the contrary, has been destroyed over the years by its own agents. There is no reason for society to trust these “professionals.”

We, independent Russian journalists and representatives of civil society, support our foreign colleagues who take upon themselves the great risks of working in Russia. We demand that our colleague Evan Gershkovich be set free immediately.

Sergey Parkhomenko, journalist 

Dmitry Kolezev, editor-in-chief, Republic 

Alexander Plyushchev, journalist

Tatiana Felgenhauer, journalist

Andrey Zakharov, journalist 

Andrey Soldatov, Agentura.ru

Irina Borogan, Agentura.ru

Yegor Skovoroda, Mediazona

Maxim Kurnikov, project manager, Echo

Olesya Gerasimenko, BBC News Russian

The editors of Popular Politics

Ilya Shepelin, journalist

Maxim Martemyanov, journalist

Zhanna Nemtsova, Nemtsov Foundation

Olga Shorina, Nemtsov Foundation

Ilya Ber, Verified.Media

Veronika Kutsillo, Polygon Media

Tatiana Malkina, journalist 

Andrey Arkhangelsky, journalist 

Vasily Matenov, Asians of Russia

Fedor Krasheninnikov, political analyst

Grigory Okhotin, OVD-Info

Kirill Rogov, Re:Russia

Olga Romanova, Russia Behind Bars

Anna Stavitskaya, lawyer

Sarkis Darbinyan, RoskomSvoboda

Andrey Borzenko, Libo/Libo

Pavel Kanygin, To Be Continued

Dmitry Butrin, Kommersant

Zhenya Snezhkina, journalist 

InTransit antiwar initiative

Filipp Bakhtin, Repost

Dmitry Navosha, journalist 

Lev Gershenzon, founder, The True Story

Mikhail Zygar, writer

Maxim Trudolyubov, journalist

Irina Malkova, The Bell

Petr Mironenko, The Bell

Kirill Martynov, Novaya Gazeta Europe

Sergey Smirnov, Mediazona

Dmitry Treshchanin, Mediazona

Dmitry Tkachev, Mediazona

Maxim Solyus, editor

Elizaveta Osetinskaya, founder, The Bell

Lyubov Sobol, politician

Ekaterina Kotrikadze, director of information services, TV Rain

Tikhon Dziadko, editor-in-chief, TV Rain

Ivan Kolpakov, editor-in-chief, Meduza

Galina Timchenko, publisher, Meduza

Katya Arenina, Project

Elizaveta Nesterova, Mediazona

Regina Gimalova, correspondent, Verstka

Anna Loyko, editor, Sota

The editors of Project

The editors of Agentstvo

Mikhail Zelensky, journalist

The editors of Sirena

Daria Guskova, Mediazona

Farida Rustamova, Faridaily

Maxim Tovkailo, Faridaily

Emmanuel Grynszpan, Le Monde

Victoria Belyashin, journalist, Gazeta Wyborcza (Poland)

Artyom Besedin, Echo

Ivan Makridin, journalist

Anastasia Privalova, editor, Aromo.ru

Nino Rosebashvili, Popular Politics

Yana Kuchina, journalist

Viktor Muchnik, Govorit NeMoskva and Eyewitnesses

Viktoriya Muchnik, Govorit NeMoskva and Eyewitnesses

Irina Samokhina, Govorit NeMoskva and Eyewitnesses

Olga Mutovina, People of Baikal

Elena Trifonova, People of Baikal 

Alexander Cherkasov, Memorial

Sergey Medvedev, Dekabristen e.V.

Elena Kostyuchenko, journalist

Dima Shvets, Mediazona

Olga Shakina, journalist, staff member of the human rights project First Division

Ivan Rublev, editor-in-chief, It’s My City

Ekaterina Martynova, DOXA

Ilya Davlyatchin, We Can Explain

Peter Ruzavin, journalist 

Maxim Polyakov, 7x7

Maxim Kondratyev, "Avtozak LIVE

Sergey Shelin, journalist

Alesya Marokhovskaya, data editor, iStories

Marina-Maya Govzman, Spectrum

Oleg Klimov, photojournalist

Philip Sterkin, journalist

Natalia Gevorkyan, journalist

Alexey Kamensky, journalist

Makar Sitkin, Novaya Gazeta

Andrey Karev, Novaya Gazeta

Marina Karlin, editor-in-chief, Russian Switzerland magazine

Andrey Loshak, journalist

Alexandra Vladimirova, journalist

Sergey Kovalchenko, Conspiracy Theories

Denis Dmitriev, journalist

Anastasia Kuts, journalist

Ksenia Larina, journalist

Tatiana Ivanova, editor-in-chief, Bumaga

Amrak Khachikyan, DOXA

Gala Latygovskaya, Mediazona

Mikhail Danilovich, Novaya Vkladka

Alla Konstantinova, Mediazona

Allie Hellfire, Mediazona

Polina Glukhova, Mediazona

Maria Tolstova, Mediazona

Denis Katayev, TV Rain

Kirill Artyomenko, CEO, Bumaga

Maria Rzaeva, commercial director, Bumaga

Vitaly Ruvinsky, Echo

Darya Kozlova, correspondent, Novaya Gazeta Europe

Asif Aliyev, editor, QIRIM.News

Ilya Azar, Novaya Gazeta Europe

Alexandra Simutina, journalist 

Larisa Zhukova, journalist

Mikhail Fishman, journalist

Lev Gyammer, editor-in-chief, and the staff of Skat Media

Timofey Ilyushin, journalist, SOTAvision

Sabina Aliyeva, journalist, Tribuna

Elizaveta Antonova, Kit

Anna Chesova, Kit

Vitaly Vasilchenko, journalist

Natasha Kondrashova, journalist

Alexander Amzin, journalist

Margarita Lutova, journalist 

Yekaterina Myachikova, journalist

Anna Kovalevskaya, journalist

Pyotr Sapozhnikov, journalist

Svetlana Reiter, journalist

Kristina Safonova, journalist

Vladislav Gorin, journalist

Ilya Rozhdestvensky, Dossier Center

Evgeny Snegov, Echo

Andrey Pertsev, journalist

Yevgeny Feldman, journalist

Ekaterina Markhulia, communications expert

Alexandra Prokopenko, independent journalist, The Bell newsletter

Yulia Starostina, journalist 

Vladimir Kharitonov, publisher

Vadim Brydov, photojournalist

Denis Kasyanchuk, The Bell

Dmitry Sukharev, journalist, Radio Liberty

Daria Nilova, journalist, Equality Media

Sasha Polivanov, editor-in-chief, HelpDesk.Media

Artyom Filatov, journalist, Freedom Experience

Irina Babloyan, journalist

Andrey Afanasyev, journalist, Radio Liberty and SOTA

Yury Litvinenko, journalist, Kommersant

Tatyana Torocheshnikova, TV Rain

Natalya Baranova, content producer, Social Technologies Greenhouse

Valery Nechay, editor, Look for the Way Out YouTube channel

Kevin Rothrock, journalist

The editors of Verstka

David Arakelyan, Novaya Gazeta Europe

Georgy Chentemirov, journalist, The Barents Observer

Ilya Kosygin, editor-in-chief, and the editorial staff of Dovod

Ekaterina Balaban, journalist

Alexandra Zerkaleva, journalist

Eilish Hart, journalist

Sam Breazeale, journalist

Anna Razumnaya, literary critic, editor, Meduza in English

Bogdan Bakaleiko, journalist, Khodorkovsky Live

Editorial staff of Belsat TV

Editorial staff, Vot Tak

Renat Davletgildeyev, Polygon Media

Victor Kotov, Polygon Media

Anna Trefilova, Polygon Media

Dmitry Yelovsky, Polygon Media

Yury Belyat, Polygon Media

Yulia Azarova, Polygon Media

Vasily Krestyaninov, photo editor, HelpDesk.Media

Pavel Faranosov, editor-in-chief, Koroche, Yekaterinburg

Alexander Shurshev, Chronicles.Media

Maxim Litavrin, Mediazona

Ivan Preobrazhensky, independent analyst

Georgy Alexandrov, independent journalist

Mikhail Mikhnevich, Chronicles.Media

Andrey Shishkin, editor-in-chief, Two Chairs

Elizaveta Pestova, Mediazona

Galina Sidorova, journalist, co-founder, Commonwealth of Investigative Journalists — 19/29 Foundation

Alexander Borzenko, editor

Semyon Kochkin, Angry Chuvashia

The editors of Perm 36.6

Sofya Kanevskaya, Novaya Gazeta Europe

Mikhail Shubin, OVD-Info

Nigina Beroeva, journalist

Andrey Ryssev, journalist, MR7

Olya Romashova, Mediazona

The editors of Chronicles.Media

Maxim Katz, public figure

Oleg Kashin, Kashin Plus

Edward Burmistrov, TV Rain

Elizaveta Kirpanova, journalist

Lizaveta Tsybulina, Transparency International Russia

Oleg Pshenichny, The Insider

Liliana Glazova, member, St. Petersburg Union of Journalists, retired

Oksana Sergeyeva, municipal deputy, Novgorod municipal district, Novgorod

Maria Kuznetsova, press secretary, OVD-Info

Boris Zolotarevsky, founder, Chelyabinsk of the Future

Alexander Gorokhov, journalist

David Frenkel, Mediazona

Yulia Mineyeva, journalist

The editors of Perito Burrito

Anna Nemzer, TV Rain and RIMA

Michele A. Berdy, Culture Editor, The Moscow Times

Thomas Nilsen, The Barents Observer (Norway)

Szele Tamás, Huppa.hu, CyberThreat Report and Zóna.com (Hungary)

Artur Asafiev, Radio Liberty

Evgeny Enikyeev, data journalist, human rights activist

Artyom Batechko, Donbass24

Dmitriy Grishchenko, photo editor

Roman Olegov, journalist

Maya Guseva, journalist

Evgeny Kochergin, Dozor

Anastasiya Lotareva, journalist

Marina Bürky, freelance journalist

Anton Karliner, photojournalist 

Natalia Vakhonina, journalist

Ned Garvey, journalist

Ilya Yablokov, media researcher

Konstantin Sonin, professor, University of Chicago

Katerina Maximova, The Insider

Yuri Gladysh, journalist and political analyst

Ruslan Gafarov, journalist

Ksenia Potayeva, journalist

Vera Krichevskaya, documentary filmmaker

Alexey Korostelev, journalist

Tatiana Grositskaya, journalist

Elena Servettaz, SwissInfo

Ben Aris, IntelliNews

Gleb Golod, journalist 

Elena Voloshina, France 24

Mika Golubovsky, editor

Dmitry Vokhmintsev, journalist

Sergey Erzhenkov, journalist

Dmitry Muratov, Nobel laureate

Natalia Rostova, journalist

Emily Laskin, journalist

Stepan Botarev, journalist

Dasha Litvishko, journalist

Stanislav Kucher, journalist

Evgeny Simkin, founder, Samizdatonline.org

Deirdre O’Brien, executive director, Samizdatonline.org

Sam Grossman, media director, Samizdatonline.org

Michael Sprague, co-founder, Samizdatonline.org

Alex Holder, design director, Samizdatonline.org

Anna Trubacheva, editor-in-chief, Samizdatonline.org

Daniel Alexandrov, Paper Kartuli

Roman Pearl, documentary maker

Nikita Kuzmin, editor, RuGrad

Henrik Kaufholz, journalist, Politiken

Maria Borzunova, journalist

This list is being updated. If you’re an independent journalist, you can add your signature to this letter by writing to [email protected] and telling us your name and your workplace (along with a way for us to verify your identity).