A panel at Bowdoin College will highlight the plight of the jailed journalist Evan Gershkovich later this month.
The panel is being organized by two friends of Gershkovich, Linda Kinstler and Nora Biette-Timmons, both of whom graduated from the Brunswick college and are fellow journalists, according to Doug Cook, a Bowdoin spokesperson.
Gershkovich, a Wall Street Journal reporter based in Moscow, was arrested in March on accusations that he was gathering information related to state secrets and the Russian military-industrial complex to convey to the U.S. government, according to the Associated Press.
He’s remained jailed since then.
The Moscow City Court on Aug. 24 extended his stay behind bars into November. Later that week, his defense team appealed that decision, the Associated Press reported.
He previously appealed a June order extending the Russian government’s custody order, but did not prevail.
His detention comes at a time of heightened tensions between Russia and the United States over President Vladimir Putin’s invasion of neighboring Ukraine, and some analysts have suggested Gershkovich, 31, may have been arrested to be used as a bargaining chip in negotiations, according to the Associated Press.
“Our friend and colleague Evan has been imprisoned in Moscow for five months, simply because he was doing his job,” said Kinstler, who graduated from Bowdoin in 2013. “We want to make sure that Evan comes home as soon as possible, and want him to know that we are thinking about him and keeping his case front of mind.”
Beyond the individual plight of Gershkovich, who graduated from Bowdoin in 2014, the panel will address the broader global struggle for press freedom.
The panel will be moderated by Henry Lawrence, a professor of government and Asian studies. Its panelists will include Bowdoin English professor A. Leroy Greason, who taught a creative writing class attended by Gershkovich, and the Wall Street Journal’s Washington editor, Paul Beckett, according to Cook.
“What happened to Evan is indicative of the increasing risks faced by journalists around the world, and it’s critical we continue to highlight not only his case but also how this sort of assault on journalism ultimately impacts everyone. Press freedom is absolutely essential for a free society, and we’re grateful for all of Bowdoin’s support for Evan as well as the opportunity to bring this important discussion to campus,” Beckett said.
The panel will be held from 7:30 to 8:45 p.m. Sept. 26 at Pickard Theater on the Bowdoin College campus. It also will be livestreamed at bowdoin.edu/live.