"I'm going to tie him to a lamppost," freed U.S. journalist Evan Gershkovich's friend celebrates, recalls detention

Record ID: 1831890

  • Title: "I'm going to tie him to a lamppost," freed U.S. journalist Evan Gershkovich's friend celebrates, recalls detention
  • Date: 3rd August 2024
  • Summary: ANDREWS AIR FORCE BASE, MARYLAND, UNITED STATES (AUGUST 1, 2024) (REUTERS) EVAN GERSHKOVICH, WALL STREET JOURNAL REPORTER HELD IN RUSSIAN PRISON FOR 16 MONTHS, GETTING OFF PLANE AFTER PRISONER SWAP, HUGGING U.S. VICE PRESIDENT KAMALA HARRIS AND PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN MARTHA’S VINEYARD, MASSACHUSETTS, UNITED STATES (AUGUST 2, 2024) (REUTERS) (SOUNDBITE) (English) FRIEND AND FO
  • Embargoed: 17th August 2024 04:00
  • Keywords: Evan Gershkovich Jeremy Berke U.S.-Russia imprisoned journalists prisoner exchange
  • Location: MARTHA'S VINEYARD, MASSACHUSETTS & ANDREWS AIR FORCE BASE, MARYLAND, UNITED STATES/ MOSCOW, RUSSIA
  • City: MARTHA'S VINEYARD, MASSACHUSETTS & ANDREWS AIR FORCE BASE, MARYLAND, UNITED STATES/ MOSCOW, RUSSIA
  • Country: US
  • Topics: North America
  • Reuters ID: LVA002406802082024RP1
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text: Upon the arrival of freed U.S. journalist Evan Gershkovich in the U.S., friends including Jeremy Berke, a college roommate, celebrated his return. They were particularly impressed by the vigor and ease he demonstrated when greeting President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, despite his 16-month imprisonment.
    "I'm glad that all of America got to see that when he got off the plane yesterday night and he was hugging the Vice President and he was chatting up the press and, you know, he kept President Biden close for a chat, that is even 110% to a tee," he said. "I really want people to know just how awesome of a human being he is, how fun he is to be around. And I also think, you know, it's that kind of goofy, extroverted personality that makes him such a good reporter because he really is disarming when you talk to him but he's very serious about his job."
    Berke said he kept in touch with Gershkovich, writing letters to him while he was imprisoned. "I think he kept himself sane through sheer force of will. You know, I think it's incredible because he was confined to a small prison cell, effectively a bathroom for 23 hours a day in very harsh conditions. He was able to cook. He had limited access to a hot plate and some ingredients that his friends in Moscow had been able to get to him. I know he read War and Peace cover to cover," he said. "I think I should especially say that his mother wrote to him very frequently, his sister wrote to him very frequently, and he had an ongoing chess match with his father via letters. And so I think it was just the connection he had with his family more than anything that kept him fighting for his own release."
    Berke also recounted a story he heard about Gershkovich's last day in Russia. “He had to sign these presidential or whatever the term is, pardon papers to actually leave Russia. And normally there's a blank space where the prisoners don't say anything and they just get the signature on it. It's a sort of bureaucratic process. Evan used that blank space to ask President Vladimir Putin for an interview and, you know, the gall to ask someone who had, you know, held you captive effectively for 16 months for an interview is incredible. But it also didn't surprise us all. On the one hand, we're like, come on, man, let's just get you home, get off the plane; let's just be safe. But no, you know, it's Evan through and through. He was taking the opportunity he had to ask Putin for an interview, and I hope he gets it," he said.

    While his friend was in a Russian prison, Berke worked to keep his friend's name in the media through a #Free Evan campaign. He said he was willing to use that media savvy to help others wrongfully imprisoned. "I found it remarkable that the first thing Evan said to the press when he got off the plane was that he was thankful to be home, but that there are many political prisoners in Russia that he encountered that did not have the resources and apparatus behind the campaign to free him. It was remarkable to me that that was the first thing you mentioned. And look, if he wants to continue that work, we'll follow his lead and we're ready at the drop of a hat to to help and use the best practices that we learned from his situation to help those others," he said.
    But for now, he is just looking forward to when he can share a beer and a hug with his buddy. "We're going to crack open a beer and I'm going to give him a huge hug. And just, you know, I think I might have said this before, but tie him to a lamppost and make sure he doesn't leave for as long as I can."
    (Producer: Arlene Eiras)
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