Sister of detained Wall Street Journal reporter, a Philadelphia resident, talks to Action News
PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich will spend October 26, his 32nd birthday, in a Russian prison.
In March, Evan was arrested by Russia simply for doing his job as a journalist. He has been wrongfully detained for more than six months, falsely accused of espionage.
His sister Danielle, who lives in Philadelphia, spoke with Action News about her brother and the ongoing efforts to secure his release.
She is able to communicate with her younger brother by exchanging letters.
"I know he's doing his best to keep his spirits up. But, I know he has to work very hard at it. So he does the best he can to fill his time as much as he can," Danielle Gershkovich said. "My family and I have written him really sappy, emotional birthday letters. So we're hoping we can support him from afar, and hopefully he loves them and gets to have some brightness on his birthday."
WATCH: Sarah Bloomquist's full interview with Danielle Gershkovich
When asked if she or her family was concerned about Evan working in Russia she said, "He didn't express concerns to us. And, I'm sure part of that is we are his family, but we were concerned, that was always a question in my mind. He was an accredited journalist, so this arrest was unprecedented. So despite our concerns, we were still shocked to find out the news."
Gershkovich is the first American journalist detained in Russia on such charges since the Cold War.
"Right now, we're relying on President Biden's promise to our family that he's going to bring Evan home," Danielle said. "Unfortunately, the case is pretty opaque. So we just have to put our faith in the government that they're doing everything they can, and we will continue to be advocates for Evan and keep him front and center in the news."
Paul Beckett of the Wall Street Journal also took part in the interview.
He said, "We've seen the Russians do this on numerous occasions to try and gain leverage with the United States government. So obviously, it has a chilling effect on the free press and makes it a lot harder to report on crucial events that are happening there."
As for Danielle's plans with her brother once he does return, "I can't wait. We'll go to a baseball game. We'll go to a Union game. I'll get a beer."
