Russians free NJ journalist after imprisoning him on false charges

☑️ Evan Gershkovich was arrested in Russia in March 2023

☑️ A Russian court in July found him guilty of espionage

☑️ The deal to free him involves nearly two dozen prisoners

A deal has been made to release Wall Street Journal reporter and Princeton native Evan Gershkovich from a Russian prison.

Gershkovich, 32, was arrested March 29, 2023, while on a reporting trip to the Ural Mountains city of Yekaterinburg. Authorities claimed, without offering any evidence, that he was gathering secret information for the U.S. He was convicted on July 18 of espionage and sentenced to 16 years in a maximum-security prison on charges that his employer and the U.S. government have rejected as fabricated.

Turkish officials said the exchange of prisoners took place in Turkey. A total of 16 individuals were involved, according to President Joe Biden.

Biden said Gershkovich, former U.S. Marine Paul Whelan, journalist Vladimir Kara-Murza and Russian-American radio journalist Alsu Kurmasheva will be returned to the United States as part of the swap.

"I am grateful to our Allies who stood with us throughout tough, complex negotiations to achieve this outcome— including Germany, Poland, Slovenia, Norway, and Turkey. This is a powerful example of why it’s vital to have friends in this world whom you can trust and depend upon. Our alliances make Americans safer," the president said in a statement.

The families of the freed Americans joined Biden for a speech from the White House following their release.

Biden said he and the families had spoken to their relatives by phone from the Oval Office minutes before his address. Biden called the release an “incredible relief” for the families and a feat of diplomacy.

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Princeton High School graduate

Gov. Phil Murphy, who is vacationing at a home he owns in Italy, said in statement he was "thrilled" to hear of Gershkovich's release calling him a "pawn in a politically-motivated game."

"I am praying for his safety and health as he returns home to his family and reacclimates to life back in the U.S. I'd like to thank President Biden and our allies involved in this complex, multilateral negotiation for their work in bringing Evan and other wrongfully detained Americans home," Murphy said.

U.S. Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman, D-N.J. 12th District, confirmed the release on her X account.

"Evan Gershkovich is on his way home! After being held 16 months on false charges of espionage, journalist Evan Gershkovich will be freed," Watson Coleman wrote. "Grateful to everyone at the State Dept for their work to make this day happen."

According to Gershkovich's LinkedIn account, he attended Bowdoin College in Brunswick, Maine, where he was a member of the men's soccer team. He attended Princeton High School and was a member of the Class of 2010, according to his team bio.

Gershkovich played club soccer for Princeton Union, where he helped to lead the team to the New Jersey State Championship and Region I Semifinals in 2007.

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