WASHINGTON — The parents of Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich — who has been imprisoned in Russia for nearly a year — will attend President Biden’s State of the Union speech on Thursday as guests of House Speaker Mike Johnson. The Biden administration last April designated Gershkovich as wrongfully detained, but negotiations to broker his release have been unsuccessful. 3 Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich stands inside an enclosure for defendants before a court hearing to consider an appeal against his pre-trial detention on espionage charges in Moscow, Russia. REUTERS3 US journalist Evan Gershkovich, arrested on espionage charges, looks out from inside a defendants’ cage before a hearing to consider an appeal on his extended pre-trial detention. Russian President Vladimir Putin defended Gershkovich’s imprisonment in an interview last month when pressed by former Fox News host Tucker Carlson to free him.

Source: Wall Street Journal March 05, 2024 21:49 UTC