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The Lawfare Podcast

Lawfare Archive: Polina Ivanova on Evan Gershkovich’s Detention

The Lawfare Podcast

The Lawfare Institute

History, Military, International Relations, Government, Constitutional Law, News, International Law, Current Events, Politics, Rule Of Law, Law, Foreign Policy, Diplomacy, National Security, Intelligence, Terrorism

4.76.4K Ratings

🗓️ 10 August 2024

⏱️ 43 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

From April 24, 2023: Evan Gershkovich has been in Russian detention for the last several weeks. He is a reporter for the Wall Street Journal, and he’s the latest American taken hostage by the Vladimir Putin regime. His good friend Polina Ivanova is a reporter for the Financial Times, a colleague of Evan’s in Russia, and has been an outspoken advocate for his release. 

She joined Lawfare Editor-in-Chief Benjamin Wittes from Berlin to talk about Evan: who he is, why he has been detained by the Russians, what we know about his conditions in prison, and what it will take to get him home. 

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Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0

The following podcast contains advertising.

0:04.0

To access an ad-free version of the Lawfair Podcast,

0:08.0

become a material supporter of Lawfair at Patreon.com slash Lawfair. That's Patreon.com

0:16.4

slash Lawfair. Also check out Lawfair's other podcast offerings, rational security, chatter, law Fair with an episode from the Law Fair Archive for August 10th,

0:45.9

2024.

0:47.6

On August 1st, the United States and Russia completed their biggest prisoner swap in post-Soviet

0:52.4

history.

0:53.4

The complex exchange involved diplomatic efforts from seven countries, the United States, Germany,

0:58.5

Poland, Slovenia, Norway, Russia, and Belarus, and set 24 detainees free.

1:04.3

Among the three Americans released was Wall Street Journal recorder Evan Gerschkovic,

1:09.2

who was detained in Russia on charges of espionage for over a year.

1:13.0

For today's archive episode, I chose a conversation from the Law Fair

1:17.0

Podcast that aired on April 24th, 2023.

1:21.0

In the episode, Financial Times reporter Polina Ivanova joined Benjamin Wittis to discuss

1:26.9

Gerskovich's detention. She talked about Evans character, the reasons behind his internment,

1:32.0

the conditions in prison and the efforts needed to secure his release. I'm Benjamin Wittis and this is the Law Fair Podcast, and this is the Law Fair

1:50.4

Podcast April 24th, 2003.

1:55.2

Evan Gerskovich has been in Russian detention for the last several weeks.

1:59.6

He is a reporter for the Wall Street Journal and he is the latest American taken hostage

2:07.5

by the Vladimir Putin regime. His good friend Polinaova, is a reporter for the Financial Times, a colleague of Evans in Russia,

2:18.8

and has been an outspoken advocate for his release. She joined me from Berlin in the virtual jungle studio to talk about

2:28.7

Evan who he is, why he has been detained by the Russians, what we know about his conditions in prison, and

...

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