For Evan Gershkovich, a Wall Street Journal reporter imprisoned in Russia, and other journalists, it was a sigh of relief to finally come home. After many months of deliberation between the United States and Russia on August 1st, 2024, Gershkovich and 24 other journalists who had been imprisoned landed at Joint Base Andrews. Although this has not been the first time we have exchanged prisoners it will certainly not be the last. There are still a large number of journalists and writers still being held in many different countries including China, Russia, Iran, and many more.
On August 1st, 2024, The United States conducted the most extensive prisoner exchange since the Cold War. Russia and the United States spent months planning this trade, and who would be exchanged. To initiate the trade, the United States released criminals convicted of significant crimes including Vadim Krasikov who was convicted in August 2019 for killing Zelimkhan, a 40-year-old Georgian citizen. Krasikov was important to this deal because Russia had been using him as a pawn in many other trades with the United States. President Biden stated that “ Deals like this one come with tough calls,” he also added: “There’s nothing that matters more to me than protecting Americans at home and abroad.” Along with the planning, there was some fear leading up to the trade. On July 21, President Biden was on the phone with the Prime Minister of Slovenia to confirm they were willing to release the prisoners they were holding. This process took months to plan and execute, which ended in the United States citizens coming home in August.
Voices from Robinson Students
Senior Matthew Williamson said “The exchange is a good example of positive American foreign policy. I know there’s a little bit of controversy about the Russian prisoners that were released,”said Williamson. “ I think the release of the journalist, specifically, Evan Gershkovich is a very, very beneficial thing because he’s a very knowledgeable person about the Russia-Ukraine war, and he provides some pretty valuable insight. I think there’s another wiser conversation that can be had about the treatment of foreign journalists in authoritarian countries, specifically Russia, but bringing home any amount of American lives I would always support.”
This has not been the first trade that the United States has taken a part of. In December 2022, after almost 10 months in Prison, Russia released Brittany Griner. Griner was also held on false charges when her luggage was searched and revealed vape cartridges allegedly containing oil from cannabis. “The US has been doing things like this for decades,” Williamson said. “But it’s been a consistent thing with US foreign policy is getting their people out either with trade deals or in some cases like the Iranian hostage crisis with intervention by the CIA.”
Although the exchange in August brought home 24 prisoners, there are still more being held in Russia. This presents a new question as to what will happen in the future, and the safety of journalists now. “As for what happens in the future, no matter who gets elected it’s definitely going to be one of the more contentious issues,” said Williamson. “[For] the journalists that are actively seeking these assignments and doing more hard hitting pieces on more pressing issues, there is going to be risk and I think they acknowledge that there is going to be risk… No matter the protections that a government can provide from us or for us, there is no guarantee of safety in these countries.”
History and Social Studies Teacher Christopher Custis had a different view of the trade.
“The first thing that I think of is I would like more information on the actual individuals that were imprisoned and then released on both sides to see if the trade is even in terms of getting Americans out of harm’s way potentially for… a crime that they’re in jail for, that maybe they didn’t commit,” Custis said. “It’s important to get Americans home, you know, that’s another initial thought, too. So that makes me happy if Americans or prisoners are being released if they’re being held for a crime they didn’t commit…But the flip side of that is who are we releasing.”
One implication that could affect the future of prisoner trades would be the upcoming presidential election. “November will have a big impact on what happens over the next four years in terms of how harsh we’re going to deal with Russia and how Russia treats American citizens.” Custis said.
What this Means for the Safety of Journalism
With the risk of imprisonment for journalists rising in several countries, organizations like Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) have been hard at work to protect them. The organization was founded in 1981 with goals to defend the rights of journalists that are imprisoned all over the world. According to their website, they released more than 200 journalists in 2023. For all journalists they “provide safety advice, help with relocation, assistance for medical or psycho-social needs, legal support, and more.” Every year around the world, hundreds of journalists are attacked, imprisoned or even killed. The CPJ has been working hard for 40 years to help defend and fight for them and is made up of about 40 experts around the world. According to their website, “when press freedom violations occur, CPJ mobilizes a network of correspondents who report and take action on behalf of those targeted.
Also found on their website they mention that “In our quest for a free media, CPJ denounces press freedom violations, meets with heads of state and high ranking officials, spearheads or advises on diplomatic efforts, and works with other organizations to ensure that justice prevails when journalists are imprisoned or killed.”
Along with the safety of journalists, many organizations are starting to form to protect the journalists. This presents a challenge, because the organizations are not prepared for the types of countries they are dealing with. “The governments that they’re going up against are very powerful in their own country and abroad, and essentially they’re fighting within their legal means. They’re trying to convince people in that government to let them go or convince people to help them out.”
With the exchange of prisoners in August, and with the United States hopeful for another trade, it’s clear that the safety of journalists is still a high priority. CPJ has called on Russia “ To release all jailed journalists and end its campaign of using in absentia arrest warrants and sentences against exiled Russian journalists.” According to Colleen Murrell, journalism professor at Dublin City University, in an article posted to Global Policy Journal, a political science newsletter, “Unfortunately these Russian journalists have little currency worth an exchange and sentencing exiled journalists comes cheap.” said Murrell.