WASHINGTON

The US on Friday said it “remains committed” to bring Evan Gershkovich home, the Wall Street Journal reporter who was arrested a year ago by Russia on charges of espionage. 

In a statement marking the one-year anniversary of the Russian detention of Gershkovich, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said: “To date, Russia has provided no evidence of wrongdoing for a simple reason: Evan did nothing wrong.”

“Journalism is not a crime,” he stressed.

Blinken also recalled the case of Paul Whelan, a former American Marine who has been detained in Russia on espionage charges for more than five years, adding: “The United States remains committed to bringing Evan and Paul home.”

“People are not bargaining chips. Russia should end its practice of arbitrarily detaining individuals for political leverage and should immediately release Evan and Paul,” he added.

US President Joe Biden also released a statement, saying that the US “will continue working every day” to secure Gershkovich's release.

“As I have told Evan’s parents, I will never give up hope either,” Biden said. “And we will continue to stand strong against all those who seek to attack the press or target journalists—the pillars of free society.”

Gershkovich, a US citizen working as a correspondent at the newspaper's Moscow bureau, was arrested by the Federal Security Service in the city of Yekaterinburg in March last year. The agency claimed he was caught "red-handed" while collecting secret information.

During an interview with former Fox News host Tucker Carlson in Moscow last month, President Vladimir Putin said dialogue was ongoing between the Russian and American special services, saying Gershkovich’s return has to be resolved in a "calm, responsible and professional manner."