UN says arrest of WSJ journalist is ‘arbitrary’

The United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention released a document on Tuesday (2 July 2024) classifying the arrest of American journalist Evan Gershkovich as arbitrary. The panel called for the immediate release of the correspondent, who was arrested in Russia in March 2023. Here is the full text (PDF – 402 kb, in English).

The document, titled “Views Adopted by the Working Group on Arbitrary Detention at Its 99th Session,” assessed the situation of Gershkovich, an international journalist for the Wall Street Journal. He is accused of espionage by the Russian government.

The UN panel questioned Gershkovich’s trial, which was held behind closed doors. The panel said the action violated a provision of the Human Rights Committee, which states that a public trial is mandatory.

The organization concluded that the journalist’s arrest constitutes a violation of human rights. “The detention of Mr. Gershkovich by the Government of the Russian Federation is discriminatory, being based on his national origin, a characteristic protected under the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the Covenant on Human Rights.s”, the document states.

The Russian government did not respond to the statements.

The CEO of Dow Jones, publisher of the Wall Street Journal, thanked the UN working group for its position. “Evan’s unjust detention is a flagrant violation of his fundamental human rights… Evan is being arbitrarily detained and must be released immediately.”, disse Almar Latour.