Pray this Easter for journalist Evan Gershkovich jailed in Russia, Archbishop of Canterbury says

The Archbishop of Canterbury has called on people to pray over Easter for Evan Gershkovich, the journalist from the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) who has been held in a Russian jail for a year on false espionage charges.

Mr Gershkovich, 32, became the first US journalist arrested on spying charges in Russia since the Cold War when he was detained by the Federal Security Service (FSB) on 29 March 2023 during a reporting trip in the city of Yekaterinburg.

The reporter, the WSJ and the US government all deny Mr Gershkovich is a spy and he has been falsely imprisoned. He has had his pre-trial detention extended five times, the latest in a court hearing earlier this week that added three months until at least 30 June. If convicted, he could face up to 20 years in prison.

In a call to defend “press freedom around the world”, the Most Rev Justin Welby shared a message on social media in which he said: “After being arrested in Russia one year ago, Evan is still in pre-trial detention, confined to a small cell — with his detention having recently been extended.”

The archbishop said: “This Easter, let us pray for the Wall Street Journal’s Evan Gershkovich… We pray for Evan, his family and his colleagues.”

He added that Good Friday would mark a year of milestones that Mr Gershkovich had been forced to miss including «his 32nd birthday, weddings, holidays and the chance to do the work he loves”.

In the wake of the decision to extend his detention again, the US ambassador to Russia, Lynne Tracy, demanded that Russia free him and said Vladimir Putin and the Kremlin were using him and other American citizens as pawns.

“This verdict to further prolong Evan’s detention feels particularly painful, as this week marks one year since Evan