Hostage expert pleased Russia even mentioned possible prisoner swap for WSJ reporter Evan Gershkovich
Russia admitting that negotiations to bring imprisoned Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich home have taken place — even if they must be "conducted in complete silence" — is a step in the right direction, according to former acting Hostage Affairs envoy Hugh Dugan.
Gershkovich, the American-born son of Soviet immigrants, has spent nearly 15 months detained in Moscow’s notorious Lefortovo Prison on dubious spying charges.
Dugan, who was acting Special Presidential Envoy for Hostage Affairs under former President Trump, feels Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov invoking recent remarks Russian President Vladimir Putin made about a possible prisoner swap involving Gershkovich is a positive development in the tragic saga.
"It does indicate they’re focused on it, or at least attentive … it’s on their minds. There are hostage cases where the other side says, ‘We don’t know what you’re talking about,’ or ‘That’s not up for discussion,’" Dugan told Fox News Digital.
"They are speaking and saying something, so there is a pulse," he continued. "To get from A to B, you need to take steps, and this would be a step that would be elemental toward resolution."
Dugan said Peskov acknowledging that Gershkovich is being detained and that there is a process underway is better than nothing. He’s also pleased the Kremlin didn’t push responsibility to the court system; an easy way for Peskov to avoid the topic would have been to simply note that the beloved American reporter still needs to stand trial.
"I want to remind you again of the president’s conversation with the heads of information agencies in St. Petersburg — he confirmed that there are such contacts," Peskov said on Monday, according to Reuters.
"They go on but should continue to be conducted in complete silence," Peskov continued. "Therefore, no announcements, statements or information on this matter can be provided."
Dugan said the call for discretion from the Kremlin "shouldn’t come as a surprise" and he urged the U.S. to oblige.
"The request for confidentiality in negotiation, I think, is to be respected," Dugan said, noting that you never know what minor thing will turn negotiations "toxic."
"A basic premise for confidentiality in such negotiations, I think, is wise. If one side is willing to talk and they say that that's one of their conditions, then that needs to have some acknowledgment," he continued. "We all have our conditions, sometimes they're mutual, and it's shown over time that the confidentiality is usually a part of a successful resolution."
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The Wall Street Journal did not comment on Peskov’s remarks, instead pointing Fox News Digital to a statement issued last week when Gershkovich was ordered to stand trial and accused of "gathering secret information" for the CIA about a facility that produced and repaired military equipment.
"Evan Gershkovich is facing a false and baseless charge. Russia’s latest move toward a sham trial is, while expected, deeply disappointing and still no less outrageous. Evan has spent 441 days wrongfully detained in a Russian prison for simply doing his job. Evan is a journalist. The Russian regime’s smearing of Evan is repugnant, disgusting and based on calculated and transparent lies," Dow Jones CEO Almar Latour and Wall Street Journal Editor in Chief Emma Tucker said in a joint statement.
"Journalism is not a crime. Evan’s case is an assault on free press," the pair continued. "We continue to demand his immediate release. We had hoped to avoid this moment and now expect the US government to redouble efforts to get Evan released."
The 32-year-old has been detained in Russia since March 29, 2023, on previously vague espionage allegations that the U.S. government and The Wall Street Journal have called absurd. The U.S. has declared him wrongfully detained and repeatedly called for his immediate release.
While Gershkovich’s employer blasted the decision, Dugan noted that the trial coming to a close might be another critical step in the mission to bring him home.
"The very, very thin silver lining would be that this puts his case into a process toward a verdict," Dugan said, noting that nobody knows if it will take weeks, months or even years.
Dugan assumes the verdict won’t be "positive" for the American journalist, but having something formalized on paper could be critical. WNBA star Brittney Griner, who was freed from a Russian penal colony in 2022 in a prisoner exchange for convicted Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout, was not sent home until she was given a nine-year sentence after pleading guilty.
"It may be that they need a verdict in order to start dealing," Dugan said.
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He said there could be multiple reasons for that, as Putin wants Russia’s court process to be respected and because people outside the country need to think there is "some logic" to the move. It would also allow the world to know Gershkovich’s fate, if he were to remain in Russia, which puts a weighted value on him when negotiating.
"The fact that this is inching toward a verdict … that’s got to be seen as some type of momentum," Dugan said.
Gershkovich will stand trial in the city of Yekaterinburg, where he was arrested last year during a reporting trip, despite being accredited by Russia's Foreign Ministry to report in the country.
The start date is unclear, and he faces up to 20 years in prison if convicted. U.S. Ambassador to Russia Lynne Tracy called the charges against him "fiction."
Dugan wants Americans to know that despite a possible transaction being billed as a "prisoner swap," Gershkovich is not a prisoner.
"The Russian prisoners in the U.S. who've been convicted … sitting in detention, they are real prisoners. He has not been given a verdict. He's not a prisoner. Under their system, yes … he’s being held. In most places in the world, you're guilty until proven innocent, which is a big lesson for all of us to remember all the time," Dugan said.
"We’re innocent until proven guilty here," he continued. "He’s an innocent person."
The Wall Street Journal has arranged numerous events to keep Gershkovich in the public consciousness, with runs, social media storms, Read-A-Thons, a recent BBQ and various other efforts. Friends, family and admirers have been able to exchange letters with him, though they are screened by Russian authorities.
In the past year, Gershkovich has been on the cover of TIME Magazine and mentioned in the State of the Union address by President Biden. Biden has personally called repeatedly for Gershkovich's release to no avail, and the journalist has continually lost appeals to end his pretrial detention.
Anyone interested in learning more about Gershkovich can visit WSJ.com/evan and FreeGershkovich.com.