{"id":5518,"date":"2024-04-29T22:10:04","date_gmt":"2024-04-29T22:10:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/internationalpulse.net\/?p=5518"},"modified":"2024-04-29T22:10:04","modified_gmt":"2024-04-29T22:10:04","slug":"biden-calls-on-putin-to-release-journalists-gershkovich-kurmasheva-jailed-in-russia","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/internationalpulse.net\/?p=5518","title":{"rendered":"Biden calls on Putin to release journalists Gershkovich, Kurmasheva jailed in Russia"},"content":{"rendered":"


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U.S. President Joe Biden called on Russian President Vladimir Putin to release American journalists Evan Gershkovich and Alsu Kurmasheva from Russian prisons, during the White House Correspondents\u2019 Association Dinner Saturday in Washington.<\/p>\n

\u201cJournalism is clearly not a crime,\u201d Biden said. \u201cPutin should release Evan and Alsu immediately.\u201d<\/p>\n

Gershkovich, a Russian correspondent for The Wall Street Journal<\/em>, was arrested in March 2023 on espionage charges that he, his employer and the U.S. government vehemently deny. Earlier this month, his pretrial detention was re-extended until late June.<\/p>\n

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\nWall Street Journal reporter Nancy Youssef calls for the release of her colleague, reporter Evan Gershkovich, as she arrives for the annual White House Correspondents\u2019 Association Dinner in Washington, April 27, 2024.<\/span>
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Meanwhile, Kurmasheva, a dual U.S.-Russian national who works at the Tatar-Bashkir service of VOA\u2019s sister outlet Radio Free Europe\/Radio Liberty, has been jailed since October 2023. She is facing charges of failing to self-register as a so-called \u201cforeign agent\u201d and spreading what Moscow views as false information about the Russian military.<\/p>\n

Gershkovich\u2019s family and Kurmasheva\u2019s husband attended the black-tie gala, which was first held more than a century ago.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are doing everything we can,\u201d Biden said of U.S. efforts to secure the release of Gershkovich and Kurmasheva.<\/p>\n

On Monday, White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre stressed the importance of Biden mentioning the imprisoned journalists.<\/p>\n

\u201c[Biden] believed it was an opportunity, speaking in front of all of you, to talk about what journalists have to go through and how brave it is for journalists to go out there and deliver \u2014 really deliver the news,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is important to lift that up. It is important to speak to that. We believe \u2014 and I’ve said this many times from this podium \u2014 journalism is not a crime,\u201d Jean-Pierre added.<\/p>\n

In Gershkovich’s case, the State Department moved quickly to declare the journalist wrongfully detained, which opens up additional resources to help secure his release.<\/p>\n

Press freedom groups, however, have noted that, to date, the State Department has not made the same designation for Kurmasheva.<\/p>\n

When asked about the status of Kurmasheva\u2019s designation, Jean-Pierre on Monday referred reporters to the State Department.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Department of State continuously reviews the circumstances surrounding the detentions of U.S. nationals overseas, including those in Russia, for indicators that they are wrongful,\u201d a State Department spokesperson previously told VOA.<\/p>\n

In his address, Biden also mentioned the case of Austin Tice, an American journalist who was kidnapped while reporting in Syria in 2012 and has been held there ever since.<\/p>\n

Biden also called for the release of Paul Whelan, a former Marine who is serving a 16-year sentence on spying charges that he and the U.S. government deny.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re not going to give up until we get them home,\u201d Biden said.<\/p>\n

VOA White House correspondent Anita Powell contributed to this report.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n