In The National Herald we had written in 2023 about Evan Gershkovich in an article about Russia and its global ambition. The exact words were:“We cannot forget Evan Gershkovich, the Russia correspondent for The Wall Street Journal (WSJ). The Russian regime has imprisoned him for over 100 days in Moscow’s Lefortovo Prison and accused him of espionage and this shows something to all of us. Evan was on a reporting trip and committed no crime, just journalism with faith in truth and justice.”

Evan is now back on U.S. soil and is a free man – it is good to read what the WSJ, NY Times, and The Gurdian wrote upon his release. Here are just a few key words from their reporting.

I read the WSJ’s editorial, ‘Evan Gershkovich and the Hostage Takers’ (by The Editorial Board, Aug. 1, 2024) with great interest because it refers to one of the newspaper’s journalists. Many times, in the past, I had seen a whole page with his photo in the newspaper. As soon as I read the phrase: “…from the Russian gulag”, my mind immediately went to the Greek-French Cornelius Castoriadis and how he had viewed that country. Since Castoriadis’ analysis not much has changed. It is good especially for the newsroom of the WSJ that Evan was freed. It’s great also that the Editorial Board gave a rare credit to the White House and expressed worry for the future – that Russia can capture more Western citizens, aiming more future exchanges for its spies that are inside Western prisons.

I read the NY Times article, ‘Released reporter was caught in oppression his parents had fled’ (by Neil MacFarquhar, Aug. 3) and I liked the title, in which the whole of the 20th century somehow appears – that turbulent century. As soon as I read, this time, the phrase “…spending his 32nd birthday in Lefortovo, a notorious Moscow prison” my mind went to the Parisian genius again. These well-written lines inform us, that, Evan’s parents fled Russia in 1979. Again, the same thought: Not much has changed since then… Putin’s Russia inherited all the old tricks.

I also read the Guardian’s article, ‘After 16 months behind bars, my friend Evan Gershkovich is free’ (by Pjotr Sauer, Aug. 2) about the reporter.

So, the West got back a few journalists and a few other people, and Russia got back spies, agents, and an ex-convict – the biggest prisoner exchange since the Cold War. While I was reading it like testimony on modern Russia, a phrase with which Castoriadis aptly had described that country came finally to my mind: “U.S.S.R.: four words, four lies.” Nothing has changed since then. Thus, as Mr. Sauer mentions, there is an “estimated 700 political prisoners in the country”.

Mr. Sauer also gives us some personal information about his friend, like “the journalist in him never faded,” that Evan read War and Peace, is an Arsenal supporter, and “he kept up his morale, never losing hope”.

I am so happy and thrilled for Evan too. Why? I had discussed for Evan’s captivity with my friends. I had made a post in Instagram that received a plethora of likes. I mentioned him in the article I wrote about Russia.

When people, activists, readers of historic newspapers, colleagues of Evan, and a mother come together many good things happen (Evan’s mother was fighting day and night for a positive outcome).

Everything’s possible. It is good for the family of the journalists from around the world that he was freed. It’s great also for the West, to manifest a kind of rare unity.

I feel a proud citizen of the West that did “my very little part in this.” I will buy me a drink at the local bar. I would personally welcome a celebration party on the Avenue of the Americas in front of WSJ Headquarters. Why not? The party will be a new beginning for the new fight we need to give now for the 700 that are left behind bars!

So, from Evan Gershkovich are we go back to Cornelius Castoriadis? Yes, because Castoriadis “knew well…” what Evan experienced. He was a renowned Sovietologist and psychoanalyst. He knew well the nature of the autocratic Soviet/Russian regime. He rightly predicted its collapse, which took place in 1991 but again “the same regime” was reborn and is alive again. The regime that invaded Ukraine, led to death Alexei Navalny, is aiming to kill the chess master turned human-rights activist Garry Kasparov, imprisoned Evan for almost 500 days, and keeps another 700 imprisoned!

During the same period of time, under “similar circumstances,” the ethnic Greek now ex-mayor and New Democracy MEP, Fredi Beleri, was illegally imprisoned in Albania for 479 days. He got released a few days ago, which is great news for Hellenism! Thus, for one more time, the essays written by Castoriadis, a few decades earlier, can still help us to understand the core nature of the autocratic regimes that still govern many countries around the world, from Russia to Albania, and of course, Turkey.

Dimitris Eleas is a New York-based political scientist and contributes to SLpress (Athens) and The National Herald (NYC). You can contact him via e-mail: [email protected].