We, the journalists of Belsat TV — the only independent Belarusian-language television channel and the Russian-language editorial board of vot-tak.tv, stand in solidarity with Wall Street Journal journalist Evan Gershkovich, who has been detained by the services of the Russian Federation.
Evan Gershkovich is an American journalist of Russian origin, who has been working in Moscow as a foreign media correspondent since 2017. In his professional environment, he has become known as a professional who is always guided by journalistic ethics and the search for the truth. Therefore, the deprivation of his liberty under the pretext of alleged espionage activities can only be seen as an attempt to intimidate the journalistic community, which has been focusing its attention on the Kremlin’s criminal policies for many months. This is yet another line crossed by the authorities of the Russian Federation, as previous repressions have mainly targeted independent Russian journalists; the arrest of a correspondent of a foreign media outlet is a signal that no one covering contemporary Russia should feel safe, as they may become hostages of Vladimir Putin.
In solidarity with Evan Gershkovich, we express our appreciation for all journalists – Russian and foreign – working in Russia, who carry out their mission despite the dangers they face. We hope that the strong reaction of the journalistic community, as well as the diplomatic actions of the leaders of the free world, will contribute to the speedy release of our colleague.
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